4. Mad World- Gary Jules

This song as a whole displays Holden's perspective on the world and on the people around him as a whole.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.

The speaker of this song is viewing the world as an outsider, just like Holden does. Holden says that he hates phonies, or people who hide their emotions, and the song says, "Their tears are filling up their glasses, No expression, no expression" which represents the exact type of person that Holden hates. Also, Holden views everything from a depressed and lonely state, which is similar to the song. It says, "Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow, No tomorrow, no tomorrow" which can relate to when Holden actually thinks of ending his own life. Then finally, when the song says, "The dreams in which I'm dying, Are the best I've ever had" this is exactly what Holden goes through. His dreams of being the catcher in the rye cause his alienation and perhaps his depression, but yet those were his best dreams.