Love You More

This song sounds happy and catchy and dance-y.

However, it's defiance - not happiness. She is angry. She is defiantly stating you can never MAKE me love you more. No matter what he does to her. And yes, this is implying incest and rape. But it could be any authority figure a young girl looks up to.

"You can turn wine into water"

This above statement is opposite and mixed up. It's not a Jesus reference because he turned water into wine. This is stating the opposite. I read that as things are messed up, are not as they should be, and are not the expected outcome.

The first stanza/verse: You can make the sun turn purple You can make the sea turn turtle But you know you can never make me love you more You can turn wine into water Turn sadness into laughter But you know you can never make me love you more
This one is "You" as a pronoun. I picture this as a young girl. A grown man (dad) can be silly and winning her trust through play. But the symbolism is there if you look: The sun is a symbol for father figure. The color purple is a symbol for royalty but also power and wisdom. He has the power in the family, and over her. The sea are her tears and the turtle is symbolism for protecting herself. A turtle carries with it a home to retreat in - a hard shell. On first listen, the first verse sounds a bit fun and lively. But there is a deep dark secret.

The second verse/chorus: Let the sky fall down, let the leaves turn brown Still you know you can never make me love you more Let the redwoods die, let the wells run dry Still you know you can never make me love you more This verse starts to show the depression part. The girl is growing more depressed because something isn't right. Her sky is fallen. The leaves aren't brilliant and she's in a state of autumn. She's dying and turning barren. The strong and mighty redwood is dying. She can't cry anymore. Her well has run dry. But she still loves him because she thinks she should.

The third stanza/verse: You can make dew into diamonds Or pacify the lions But you know you can never make me love you more You can make me dance to order My sex hung, torn, and quartered But you know you can never make me love you more Diamonds: "In short, diamonds represent faithfulness, love, purity, innocence, and relationships filled with love." (sunnyray.org) Dew: "In folk magic throughout the world dew is considered important in healing and medical cures, especially of the female reproductive system." (themystica.com) Pacify (to turn off or make quiet) the lion - the lion is the ruler of the jungle. This could be read in two ways. To calm down the ruler of the house (man). Or she is pacifying her own strength or trying to stop the predator. I think the rest is obvious... but this means that it is becoming more obvious to her what is happening. She's older and understands better the dysfunction, but she still loves him.

The fourth verse/chorus: Let the new day hide, leave the scars inside Still you know you can never make me love you more Let the rain poor down, let the valleys drown Still you know you can never make me love you more Her scars are literally internal, easy to hide. Her emotions are raining down. Symbolism of a Valley: "The image of the valley carries with it the promise of fertile lands, exaggerated activity and a safe haven for human life. Furthermore, this sanctified geographical womb implies an invitation into sexuality, love and ultimately, family. All in all, we seem to be witnessing a desirable and secure plain of existence. However, the reality of the valley is divided by the mountain dwellers who were perhaps removed from the fertile plain or simply denied unmolested entry, due to a lack of force or social standing. In this sense, we find the archetype of the valley of shadows and the biblical terminology of the valley of death (into which 600 men rode and alas, never returned)." (dreamicus.com) Fertility? Womb? I think we get it.

The fifth stanza/verse: We can make the sun turn purple We can make the sea turn turtle But you know you can never make me love you more We can turn wine into water As fathers rape their daughters But you know you can never make me love you more The pronoun is now "We". Same premise as the first verse - but there is a collective responsibility. She even announces it now - FATHERS RAPE THEIR DAUGHTERS. Hello! Wake up people. This shit happens.

The sixth verse/chorus: Let the sky fall down, let the leaves turn brown Still you know you can never make me love you more Let the redwoods die, let the wells run dry Still you know you can never make me love you more Yeah you know you can never make me love you more This is another repeat of the depression that she will always carry with her. The song doesn't end on a summery note - or even spring - the leaves are still brown. The redwood (sequoia tree) represents wellness and safety, and have the ability to withstand disasters like fire and decay - but the redwood is dead - it couldn't withstand. She's broken. Her well is dry. There is no forgiveness. She cannot be made to love him anymore.

This is a very dark song with some heavy lyrics. It stood out to me back when I first heard it. Back then, I thought I'd misheard the lyrics because who would sing about that? However, I've adored the song. It spoke to me - more than just the great sound to it. But for a long time I didn't understand what drew me to the song. Until I started to remember... Same with a couple of other songs I'd run across that deals with the subject matter. The sad thing is, it's reality. Girls are subjected to way too much sexual abuse. No one wants to talk about it. Men should be ashamed. Hell, boys are also sexually abused. Still - Men should be ashamed (as it is the men doing the abusing for the most part).

If only it would stop.