Cradled in Love

While danfiukf brings some interesting theories, I do have my own - rather depressing - meaning for this song, which seem supported by the official music video PotF released.

The singer gets "friendzoned" (at best), or loses a very good friend (at worst) in the process of letting a woman into his already dull and depressing life and subsequently declaring his love to the woman.

For that meaning to start making sense, you have to view the dilapidated, almost sinister, house as the MIND of the narrator (literally the Temple of Thought) and I would argue the "reservoir" to be his SOUL. The woman thus makes a grand, luminous yet uncertain entrance, to which he awakens from his depressive apathy to and instantly lashes onto her (notice how the reservoir is empty and starts filling up with pure light in a dark environment), refusing to let go of her (door closing and locked). The woman then starts exploring, grudgingly at start, but more and more at ease throughout her exploration. She goes from room to room, rummages through books (memories and/or stories), then goes to the bedroom where she takes a necklace (which I assume could be a gift from the narrator), and takes little nap (which means she's now at ease, even after acknowledging most of the information about the narrator's life and personality).

This is where I will start to interpret the lyrics, because from the moment she takes a nap to when she opens her eyes, something happened that scared her away, maybe it's just the old saying that sleep is the best meditation, or that his feelings towards her left her overwhelmed, smothered even.

The first verse supports my theory that he was really into her (using a physical attribute to back up an action - Blue note sapphire eyes...), he let her into his desolate life after she "pierced his guard" by telling him that he would be alone anymore, and making him experience life again (taking my soul to faraway places).

Going onto the second verse, this is bit more difficult to interpret, as the "we" can refer to multiple states of HIS mind or in a more literal fashion to both of them. So from now on my interpretation will always explain both theories.

1) With the first idea in mind, he is battling himself about the feelings he is having for her, maybe one or multiple similar attempts at love left him dried out in the past, or he hurt someone he cherished in the past and doesn't want it to happen again. But she was saving him from his depression, and he seemed to provide her with joy in return, so he went against the odds (the tides) in this gamble to gain her love (as supported by the chorus interpretation below).

2) The second idea doesn't hold as solid as it would mean the girl knew about his feelings for her all the way but had no intention to fulfill his wishes from the beginning, and just waited to see how things panned out, or maybe what she could get from his love for her (like the necklace). The second verse would then become the blindness that love often brings, the narrator thinks this is going two-ways, but the ups-and-downs are solely created by him as she stands reacting to what he throws at her. It could also indicate that the woman has her fair share of personal problems as well.

Chorus :

1) The message is directed towards himself an an encouragement (notice how the chorus comes after an ambiguous, doubtful verse). His Soul (the reservoir, remember) is basically convincing him that the attention the woman gives him cradles him in love, makes him alive, that he has no reason to have doubt, qualms, fears, sadness about it.

2) Following the idea that she might have her own issues and that she knows of his feelings for her, I would advance that she might be having remorses (hence the crying). It could also be doubts from either sides (not believing in each other's love), conflicts, feeling of being overwhelmed, etc. However, the narrator interprets her tears as a good omen (that she's in love with him too), and tries to reassure her with more of his Love and sudden liveliness.

3rd Verse and 4th verse :

This is the one im least sure of my interpretation, but they seem to collide :

1 & 2) The love in question here, while interpreted as romantic love by the singer, might just be the affectionate friendship that started between the woman and him. She obviously helped him out, maybe out of pity (tear drop from mother earth), but in which he still finds magic and amazement (singing dolphin, a creature sometimes used as a metaphor for a woman or a magical, miraculous being). This is a battle with himself, as he is persuading himself to test his luck out (I wanna gaze into your light [to see] If I could see my fortune there) while the Love is going strong (Fire burning bright). On the other hand, he's still having doubts : "What if Im blinded by my emotion?" (flames can hypnotize) " What if it fails - I'm scared " (do I even dare to speak out your name for fear it sounds like [from] a lover).

BUT (video shows Reservoir almost filled and agitated)

The chorus comes in.. and he convinces himself that revealing his feelings for the woman is the best option.

Back to the video :

As he delivers his Love to her (Reservoir brightening up), a way out opens, whether is was created by him or her is not totally clear, but as in every decision in life, there are at least two options..

The woman thus chooses to flee the house (Temple of Thought) that she brought light back in. The scene where she's in front of the vividly bright Reservoir is when she fully witnesses the extent of his Love for her (a proposal maybe ?) but it only really stops her for a moment; she leaves the guy with but a look behind, calling back, unwillingly or not, an even greater darkness upon his Soul and Mind as the echoes of the chorus resonate his sorrow.