The idea for “Pariah” began while I was sitting in a cubicle at work. Everything was oppressively quiet and there was a heavy feeling of being pressed down by an invisible thumb. I fantasized what it would be like if I stood up and started singing and dancing, and pictured myself being dragged away as a lunatic. I finished the song on August 13, 2001, but couldn’t figure out what to call it. Early contenders were “In His Image” “Afraid of Knowing Where I Belong” before I settled on “Pariah.”
This song has been a part of the live repertoire of just about every band I’ve been in since it was written, though as a lopsided waltz it’s hardly a song that makes you get up and dance. And it turns out, I was afraid of knowing where I belonged, though it took me several more years to admit it.
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