Paul

I thought of this in the complete opposite way from "RachWho", because I knew a girl who told me stories, my interpretation:

Paul's about a girl who who was abused in the "neighbor or family member, stalkhom syndrome" type way, can't get away from her abuser but toils in the illusion. "Oh the last time I saw Paul I was horrible and almost let him in But I stopped and caught the wall And my mouth got dry so all I did was Take him for a spin" -Paul's at her door and she recalls the last time they were together how she got away from him but almost taken advantage of, maybe previous times not so lucky So Paul's at her door now and she's too passive aggressive, dry mouthed and unable to fight, she goes with him.

"Yeah we hopped inside my car And I drove in circles 'round the freight train yard And he turned the headlights off Then the pulled the bottle out And then he showed me what is love" -Unwillingly she goes and entertains him, she knows this bit too well, takes him to a place they may have frequented once or twice in their squabbles of abuse. Driving aimlessly, making small talk (postponing the inevitable) they run out of things to say. He pulls out the alcohol and it doesn't sound like she puts up a fight this time. But that's the only form of affection she's known and misconstrue's the abuse for love.

"I'll be your morning bright good-night shadow machine I'll be your record player baby if you know what I mean I'll be a real tough cookie with the whisky breath I'll be a killer and a thriller and the cause of our death" -This could only be what I could imagine is her trying to escape reality and tell herself she's not being abused but the "morning bright good night shadow machine", too constant of abuse and was the first thing she saw in the morning and last thing she experienced before the days end. "Record player baby" her beginning to accept and look at her situation as "I'm entertaining like song you play over and over when you're kinda infatuatedwith a tune and can't get it out of your head. "Real tough cookie with the whiskey breath", her trying to cope and numb the pain and even indulging Paul when she's had enough and her breath is like breathing vapors from the bottle. "Killer, thriller, death" Possibly her sane side battling the illusion, she notices how he indulges and she gives him a thrill and is starting to plot an end even if it means taking them both down to just end it.

"Well Paul, I know you said That you'd take me any way I came or went But I'll push you from my brain See, you're gentle baby I couldn't stay, I'd only bring you pain" -Her now giving into "the delusion" again, that "he's really a nice guy", keeps coming back to her because he cares or loves her but berates herself with "any way I came or went" soiled or unsullied. But also now viewing herself as the monster because of maybe her thoughts and acceptance to the abuse. Seeing him as the innocent or "gentle" person and thinking "I'm no good for anyone." So she pushes him away with her new messed up resolve. (Skip the repeating chorus) "I was your starry-eyed lover and the one that you saw I was your hurricane rider and the one that you'd call We were just two moonshiners on the cusp of a breath And I've been burning for you baby since the moment" -She recalls the memories now as if the abuse was positive. That he viewed her with a gleam in her eyes, that she stood and endured the abuse but viewing it in a positive, "I was brave and didn't stand down from the hurricane" and possibly they even had a open dialog about it in conversation over the phone "wont you be my hurricane rider?". Remembering the alcohol induced times with a fondness when she was too inebriated to care about how messed up the reality of it was.

"And I've been burning for you baby since the minute I left" She doesn't know anything else and is now too psychologically effected that she now willingly goes back to the guy and feels regret when she leaves him.

Now I'd like to say that after reading RanchWho?'s interpretation of the song and revising all the other songs on the album. I believe his/her version is more closer to the motives behind the lyrics. The first time I heard this song and thought of my interpretation, my stomach was in knots and couldn't listen to the song for a while. I sorta thought it was just another one of those out of place songs like "Little sister" from Queens of the stone age or "Polly" from Nivana, "Ruby over diamonds" by Kashmir or "Lilly" from Smashing Pumpking. You know, those "questionable" songs that you hope are metaphors. Anyways, sorry for ruining the song for whoever reads this.