The lyrics "Fat boy goes to the pool. Sees his reflection, doesn't know what to do. He feels little inside and filled with pride...Oh fragile flame...No one sees the same...Fat boy goes about his day, trying to think of funny things to say...Like this is just a game I play and I like me this way...Oh, fragile flame when no one feels the same." These lyrics mean that this youth knows he's overweight and he'd like to change but he doesn't know what to do. He feels like he's not important so he tries to make up other things so that people will like him and lies about his feelings about himself to his friends. He's too proud to ask for help. Then it says that no one really understands what he's going through when there actually alot of people who do.
The lines "...Hush, sleep, don't think just eat...Your daddy's little boy...Your mama's pride and joy...You know they love ya...But not because they hold ya...Fat boys say wouldn't it be nice...If I could melt myself like ice...Or you run my skin and just be pure wind...Oh fragile flame... Sometimes I feel the same." I think that these lyrics mean that his family is telling him not to think about the consequences of overeating and they wouldn't do anything to hurt him because they love him when actually they are slowly killing him. And he is joking to his friends that he likes being overweight when inside we know that he wishes he was skinny and he could "melt" the fat and all the pain that come with it away. Or that he could run so fast that the fat would escape from his body and he'll be thin and just filled with air.
I thought this song was a good song to interpret because it has a lot to do with health related topics. The boy's physical health is only a small part of what is being affected by his weight problem. The boy's interpersonal relationships are also affected by his weight because most people would just stare and point at him so he feels he has to be the class clown in order to be accepted. He feels out of place in society because of his size so he pretends it doesn't bother him and he's happy when he is not.
The boy's emotional and intellectual health is also affected by his size. Overweight people are usually less self confident, have low self esteem and don't accept themselves for who they are. The boy in this song is no different. He wants to do something but he doesn't know where to start or what to do. Also, he has to lie to people about his feelings and it sounds like he's mostly trying to convince himself. It's unhealthy to lie to yourself.
Another dimension of health that is affected is physical health. His physical appearance is obviously affected because he's overweight and he probably has other health problems and is unable to do a lot of physical activities. According to Thrive@Health.com "Obesity may contribute to the development of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and gall bladder disease." They also say that obese people have a low exercise tolerance.
The last dimension affected is spiritual health. Spiritual health is a sense of fulfillment of a person's life, their values or beliefs of self and community. This boy feels like his life means nothing because of his weight and his parents aren't helping by telling the boy he doesn't have a weight problem. They are telling him not to worry about the consequences, that he's just a "big boy" and they wouldn't hurt him because they love him. But the boy is headed towards a future of health problems.