The lyrics refer to the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. in 1981 . The title comes from his poems ; " I remain the far side of crazy " . Hinckley was obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and believed that the only way to attract her attention was to become famous himself . He was inspired by the murder of John Lennon and the subsequent media attention that his killer , Mark Chapman , received as a result . The song picks a number of lines from the letters that Hinckley sent to Foster both before and after the assassination
attempted assassination
Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan
Far Side of Crazy