Release_Me wrote:By the way, I think I have an idea what these lines in the song mean, or might mean:
Every choice, mistake I made, is not my plan
To send you in the arms of another man
And if you choose to stay, I’ll wait, I’ll understand
The choices/mistakes could be Ed continuing to smoke or drink or something more serious which we are not privy too. Maybe Jill threatened to leave him over said issue. The last line follows from the previous ones, i.e. her choosing to stay with that other man. He'll wait for her but he'll understand if she doesn't come back. I don't think it's a departure from the rest of the song. He's addressing his insecurities over the relationship which could end due to his mistakes or his impending death.
I understand the fear he talks about here very well. A friend of mine just lost his younger brother (24) in a horrible car accident a few days ago. That kid had his whole life in front of him. You just never know with life.
I thought he was saying he's not intentionally sabotaging the relationship to avoid having to suffer from it's end, the song being about the fear of losing the ones you love and all.
What's that last line about, in that context?
Like Stip said, it's a very nonspecific narrative (good way of putting it), perhaps this refers to him confronting her with the other guy and he says that he recognizes his culpability, but that he won't give up on her even if she has given up on him. The "I studied your face, the fear goes away" line is the result of that confrontation. Her reaction shows that she chooses him.
On the other hand, maybe the intent is much darker and "the fear goes away" because it is replaced by something worse... desperation and thoughts on suicide? Hence the sirens in the night. "Will they come for me this time" because he finally went through with it? I usually defer to Stip's interpretation, but I haven't read it yet to avoid spoilers for the leaked songs.
Wow, interesting possibilities there.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
There are undoubtedly plenty of cliches in the song, but other than that, I guess you'll put a lot of thought into a song you like, and no thought at all into a song you don't.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
This can be applied to just about everything related to this band.
We're just trying to make sense of that "If you choose to stay, I'll wait, I'll understand". Which doesn't make sense, but Ed wrote it, so it must make some sense to him, and it must be about something we're not privy to, which makes it a really annoying lyric.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
This can be applied to just about everything related to this band.
Yup.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
What if the other man is the narrator's other self - i.e. half the man he used to be?
I assume Ed has done all his own home renovations since 2000.
While a Western guitar motif lost on the swings drum bass fusion, get your own thoughts into the subconscious often forgotten. "Pendulum" is a sweeping soul from the ballast.
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
Sirens will have emotional depth if I have to completely rewrite the meaning in my head, godammit.
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
Sirens will have emotional depth if I have to completely rewrite the meaning in my head, godammit.
Even though it's vague there are specifics that leave me unconnected completely. I'd like certain lines to be slightly or completely different to make it the song I want it to be. I understand the few people that have drawn a parental feeling even though it's about a partner. It's an avenue that I would like in the song but it isn't there.
Maybe the lyrics were revised to attract a universal audience.
Release_Me wrote:By the way, I think I have an idea what these lines in the song mean, or might mean:
Every choice, mistake I made, is not my plan
To send you in the arms of another man
And if you choose to stay, I’ll wait, I’ll understand
The choices/mistakes could be Ed continuing to smoke or drink or something more serious which we are not privy too. Maybe Jill threatened to leave him over said issue. The last line follows from the previous ones, i.e. her choosing to stay with that other man. He'll wait for her but he'll understand if she doesn't come back. I don't think it's a departure from the rest of the song. He's addressing his insecurities over the relationship which could end due to his mistakes or his impending death.
I understand the fear he talks about here very well. A friend of mine just lost his younger brother (24) in a horrible car accident a few days ago. That kid had his whole life in front of him. You just never know with life.
I thought he was saying he's not intentionally sabotaging the relationship to avoid having to suffer from it's end, the song being about the fear of losing the ones you love and all.
What's that last line about, in that context?
Like Stip said, it's a very nonspecific narrative (good way of putting it), perhaps this refers to him confronting her with the other guy and he says that he recognizes his culpability, but that he won't give up on her even if she has given up on him. The "I studied your face, the fear goes away" line is the result of that confrontation. Her reaction shows that she chooses him.
On the other hand, maybe the intent is much darker and "the fear goes away" because it is replaced by something worse... desperation and thoughts on suicide? Hence the sirens in the night. "Will they come for me this time" because he finally went through with it? I usually defer to Stip's interpretation, but I haven't read it yet to avoid spoilers for the leaked songs.
It could be. That's not a crazy way to read it for sure. I haven't actually really sat down with any of the lyrics yet beyond first impressions because I don't want to construct a meaning in my mind and get the lyrics wrong. I'll be looking for the suicide story now, though
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
Sirens will have emotional depth if I have to completely rewrite the meaning in my head, godammit.
Even though it's vague there are specifics that leave me unconnected completely. I'd like certain lines to be slightly or completely different to make it the song I want it to be. I understand the few people that have drawn a parental feeling even though it's about a partner. It's an avenue that I would like in the song but it isn't there.
Maybe the lyrics were revised to attract a universal audience.
It really does sound like the lyrics were tampered with to make it a more commercial success or something, even though it wants to be a song about death. The "I pull you close" section sounds like something Brendan O'Brien probably added. We have two choruses, one written by Ed "I didn't care before you were here..." and the other written by BoB. It's speculation but a real possibility.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
dimejinky99 wrote:Didn't his first wife leave him? Is that the fear he's addressing in this one? That is could happen again?
I wondered the same thing but then I was chided for talking about Ed's personal life. It seems this song is destined to be a mystery, which is fine, because there are other great Ed songs with frustratingly muddled lyrics as well.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
Blenheim Augustine wrote:What if the other man is the narrator's other self - i.e. half the man he used to be?
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
McParadigm wrote:Based on the line "I hold you close, so much to lose," I'm guessing you all are putting more thought into these lyrics than Ed ever did.
Sirens will have emotional depth if I have to completely rewrite the meaning in my head, godammit.
Even though it's vague there are specifics that leave me unconnected completely. I'd like certain lines to be slightly or completely different to make it the song I want it to be. I understand the few people that have drawn a parental feeling even though it's about a partner. It's an avenue that I would like in the song but it isn't there.
Maybe the lyrics were revised to attract a universal audience.
It really does sound like the lyrics were tampered with to make it a more commercial success or something, even though it wants to be a song about death. The "I pull you close" section sounds like something Brendan O'Brien probably added. We have two choruses, one written by Ed "I didn't care before you were here..." and the other written by BoB. It's speculation but a real possibility.
Lol i doubt it. Ed just probably thought it sounded good. There's enough stuff there that it means something to himself when he sings it but not enough that all his fans know exactly whats going on in his life.
FD has the same thing going on, standard mushy shit and then something about demons dancing.
