In episode 51 of Hooked on Creek, I dig deep into the lyrics of Cruel World by Max Creek and share my thoughts on what the song means.
While the lyrics of Cruel World acknowledge the limitations and challenges of existence, they also offer a glimmer of hope for growth and self-discovery. Ultimately, I think Cruel World challenges us to confront the stark realities of life and actively create meaning and purpose in a world that offers no guarantees.
This episode features the following songs performed live by Max Creek:
- Cruel World performed at Northern Lights in Clifton Park, New York, on January 29, 2000
- Cruel World performed at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on February 3, 2018
Transcript of episode 51
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music, history and fans of the legendary jam band Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 51.
Welcome back to Hooked on Creek, the world’s most popular podcast about Max Creek. But as you probably know, Hooked on Creek is actually the only podcast about Max Creek and that’s why I am so happy you are here with me, because we get to share something special together.
In this episode, I am going to take a deep dive into the lyrics of Cruel World, which is one my favorite Max Creek songs and I think an exquisite example of Scott Murawski’s song writing abilities. But before I begin, I want to acknowledge that I am going to be sharing my own interpretation of the song. I have no insight from Scott on what drove him to write the song or how he hoped we, the fans, would interpret it. So, what I hear in his lyrics for Cruel World may be different from what you hear — and that is the beauty of art. Because, as we know, art is in the eye of the beholder.
And that, I do know, is how Scott wants us to approach his songwriting. For example, listen to this clip of Scott talking about his songwriting from my conversation with him back in episode 33 of this podcast:
“I would argue that whatever the song means to you currently is as valid, if not more valid, than what the song means to me. I would argue that. And, that’s something that I’ve always done when people ask me what songs are about. I say, ‘Well, what does it mean? You tell me what it means to you first, and then I’ll tell you what it means to me.’”
Well, I have no expectations that Scott will ever reveal what motivated him to write the song or what it means to him. But, I am still excited to share what the song Cruel World means to me. So, in my exploration of the song Cruel Word, perhaps the best place to begin is with the title of the song. The phrase “cruel world” shows up in various contexts throughout art and popular culture. In film and TV, you will find the line “Goodbye, cruel world” used somewhat often to punctuate a character’s struggle against fate and circumstance.
Whether in a suicide note or as a character’s dramatic last lines, “Goodbye, cruel world” is commonly used as a vehicle to communicate despair. In music, you will find the phrase “cruel world” used in the titles of songs by artists ranging from Pink Floyd to Willie Nelson.
Wherever it comes up in art or popular culture, the phrase “cruel world” seems to point to a fatalistic perspective on humanity in which events are inevitable. So for me, hearing the phrase “cruel world” demands an exploration through the lens of philosophy.
While I am not a student of philosophy by any means, I have been interested in philosophy for most of my adult life and I have dabbled in it enough to develop an appreciation for philosophy as a tool to help me find meaning in the events of my life, the world around me and even the music I listen to.
So when I take a step back and look at the song Cruel World by Max Creek from a philosophical perspective, I am drawn to the philosophy of existentialism which is a school of thought that focuses on the ideas of individual freedom, responsibility and the challenges of navigating a seemingly indifferent and harsh world. Existentialism suggests that our human existence has no predefined essence or purpose. Instead, we create meaning and purpose through our own choices and actions.
On a side note, if these themes interest you, I suggest reading The Wall, a classic existential short story written in 1939 by French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre. I read it a few months ago and I loved it. It’s a powerful story that really forces you to consider if the significance that we, as humans, create in our lives is all just an illusion.
OK, while Jean Paul Sartre’s goal in The Wall was to unite people against a fascist regime through existentialism, I think the existential themes in Cruel World by Max Creek mainly point toward personal growth and transformation, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself, so let’s look at the lyrics. The song begins with these lines:
Take a look at what’s inside your heart
If it feels right go ahead
You can be anybody that you want
No matter what’s been said
You don’t have to worry that you might hurt someone
Nobody is going to look out after you but you
It’s every man for himself out there in this cruel world
You’re all by yourself and it’s a cruel world
Here, the lyrics seem to encourage a hedonistic approach to life. When Scott says, “Take a look at what’s inside your heart / If it feels right go ahead,” it implies the pursuit of pleasure and self-interest as primary goals in life. But perhaps a more favorable way of reading those lines would be to interpret them as an introspective call to action that invites you to examine your own desires, values and instincts — essentially, follow your intuition. But in any case, the song continues with “You can be anybody that you want / No matter what’s been said” which introduces personal growth as an important and recurring theme of the song.
And then I interpret the line “You don’t have to worry that you might hurt someone” as just another way of saying each of us define our own values in the world. So, it is up to me to decide what is right or wrong for myself, which I think is empowering.
But after that, the lyrics take a darker turn. Scott says, “Nobody is going to look out after you but you,” and he tells us, “You’re all by yourself and it’s a cruel world.” By painting a picture of solitude in which we are ultimately alone to fend for ourselves, I think the lyrics are giving us perspective to consider our own individual autonomy and responsibility in this cruel and lonely world. The song is telling us we have the freedom to define ourselves through our choices. But that freedom comes with the burden of responsibility, as the lyrics state, “nobody is going to look out after you but you.” And with the repeated refrain of “cruel world” used here and through the song, the lyrics suggest that our pursuit of pleasure is always at risk of being thwarted by the harsh realities of existence.
And now the lyrics move on to tell us:
What’s the point in letting things go by
Saving someone else’s tears
You only live as long as it takes to die
It’s not as long as it appears
You don’t have to worry that you didn’t do enough
The only two things that are here and now are here and now
Time is running out for you in this cruel world
You’re all by yourself and it’s a cruel world
In this set of lyrics, we get a suggestion that life is fleeting and the pursuit of altruistic endeavors may not be worth it in the grand scheme of things. The lines “What’s the point in letting things go by / Saving someone else’s tears” introduce a sense of futility and a potentially nihilistic perspective on life. If you are not familiar with it, nihilism is a philosophical viewpoint that asserts that since life lacks meaning and truth, human existence is pointless. But when I hear Scott say, “What’s the point in letting things go by / Saving someone else’s tears,” I prefer to interpret that as a reminder that it is our individual responsibility to define our own meaning and truth in this world.
And at this point in the song, we are also provided lyrics that remind us of our own mortality. This shows up in the lines “You only live as long as it takes to die / It’s not as long as it appears” and the phrase “time is running out for you.” I think these lyrics create a sense of urgency and highlight the finite nature of our existence. Perhaps this awareness of our own inevitable death should remind us to make the most of our limited time and prioritize the things that truly matter.
Alright, we are almost to the end of the lyrics, so stick with me. To wrap things up, Cruel World concludes with these lines:
When you get to where you want to be
And there’s no place left to go
Try to look at what you want to see
See if there is room to grow
You don’t have to worry that you’ve got to start again
There are so many lifetimes waiting just for you to do
Everybody needs to live in this cruel world
You’re all by yourself and it’s a cruel world
It’s within these final lines of the song that a glimmer of hope appears in our cruel world. The lines “Try to look at what you want to see / See if there is room to grow” and “There are so many lifetimes waiting just for you to do” suggest the possibility of personal growth and transformation. These lines tell us that we have the capacity to find meaning and purpose even in challenging circumstances.
Overall, I think the messages contained within Cruel World are complex and multifaceted. At times, the song presents a world devoid of inherent meaning or morality, yet simultaneously the song emphasizes the importance of individual choice, responsibility and the pursuit of happiness. Taken in its entirety, I think Cruel World challenges us to confront the stark realities of life and invites us to create meaning and purpose in a world that offers no guarantees.
But as noted earlier, this is just my personal interpretation of the song. I have no idea what Scott Murawski or any members of the band think the song means. That said, the next time you hear the song, I encourage you to listen closely and search for your own meaning. And there is no time like the present, so stick with me now because coming up I am going to play a tasty version of Cruel World from Max Creek’s live music archive.
It’s time to let it all sink in. This is Max Creek performing live at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, back on February 3, 2018.
And that concludes episode 51 of Hooked on Creek. You can find links to stream or download the music featured in this episode by looking in the episode show notes. And if you have feedback about this episode or want to share what Cruel World means to you, visit hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for tuning in!