Sick Things

The speaker describes a strange collection of “things” that he claims to love and treats like devoted followers. The mood is playful but unsettling: his affection sounds possessive, and the repeated references to fear and appetite make it seem threatening. The words move between adoration and menace, leaving open whether the speaker is joking, performing a bizarre fantasy, or showing a darker side.

Calling the objects “my pets,” “my things,” and “play things” reduces them to possessions rather than equals. “Come worship me” turns the speaker into a ruler or idol, while the claim that the things are “chilled with fright” suggests they may fear him even as he insists they love him. “Whet my appetite” can mean to increase desire, but here it also hints at hunger and possibly consumption.

The lyrics do not clearly explain what the “things” are. They may be literal objects, imagined companions, or people whom the speaker views as possessions. The mention of cars and cartridge tapes gives the images a material quality, but it does not settle their meaning. The contrast between heavenly love and frightened obedience is central: the speaker presents control as affection, though a listener may hear that affection as disturbing or satirical.