The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Boris the Spider" by the artist "Who, The"

The song "Boris the Spider" by The Who is a humorous vignette about a man and his encounter with a spider. The lyrics convey the mixture of fear and curiosity many experience when faced with these creatures.

The song begins with the protagonist observing a spider, whom he names Boris, crawling on his wall. He describes its appearance ("black, hairy, and small") and tracks its movements around the room. The repetition of the phrase "Boris the spider" creates a sense of an intrusive thought, as if the protagonist can't stop thinking about this tiny creature.

Interestingly, the protagonist projects human emotions onto Boris, speculating that the spider might be "scared" just like him. This highlights the irony of the situation: a human, enormous compared to the spider, is afraid of the tiny creature.

Suddenly, Boris disappears, which intensifies the protagonist's fear. Upon finding the spider motionless, the protagonist assumes it is dead and even feels a tinge of sadness ("a rather sad end he had"). He buries Boris, using a book as a makeshift tombstone.

Despite being about a spider's death, the song is not horrifying or disgusting. Instead, it elicits a smile through its humor and the absurdity of the situation. The protagonist's over-the-top reaction to a harmless creature is comical and relatable, reminding us that even our fears can be absurd when examined closely.