u/AnthonyCona — reddlx

I had a whole hot take on what Rodeo is really about that I was gonna post, but I’ll do this first. Apple Pie isn’t about some bs like everyone says. It’s about (not only his mom) but others being super overbearing over his life, giving him fake help to keep him indebted to them whether it be monetarily or emotionally in a disingenuous way for control. He doesn’t want to live like that anymore, (thats all he saw) because he realized they wanted to keep him dependent on them. Then all of a sudden when he had the money they gave him the attention they never gave him. The album isn’t about a drugged out Travis, the drug is attention he never got managing other peoples emotions as a kid. His nervous system was dysregulated and he grew up hypervigilant, Rodeo is what was going on in his in his head. (“All these flashing lights burning me”, is not about fame, is the analyzation of every little thing he did growing up. (clearly why he hates pictures)). His complex version of PTSD from his childhood to be the perfect child put too much pressure on him from disingenuous people that never actually wanted him to succeed for him, but he struggles in the album thinking he might be the bad person for some of his actions. He never knew how to handle anything so he avoided it. At the end he realizes why. (Apple Pie)