"Damascus" Years ago, you said to me, "I think I'm losing the fight, Or the fight's losing me, I'm not certain," And here we are-the closing scenes, And all the house lights come up, Oh, the falling of our final curtain... I've played a role for so long that I've forgotten myself, But I said I'd be there and I'm keeping my word, You've played yourself so well, And now I want to be you, A great imitation of losing my nerve. Oh, it's over, And everything is wrong, everything has gone, And I know that everything means nothing, Oh, it's over, But I don't want to fight, I don't want to be right, I know that everything means nothing, On the road to Damascus they fell. I saw the light-I saw the light! But hey, it never saw me, Oh, conversation has just left me heathen, And we could wait a thousand years, Perhaps a million or more, If it's worth waiting for, but I'm leaving, So on to a mecca of earthly delights, Depression is only desire deprived, Once more unto the breach and fuck my getting it right, We've died for so long, let's just get out alive. 'Cause it's over, And everything is wrong, everything has gone, And I know that everything means nothing, Oh, it's over, But I don't want to fight, I don't want to be right, I know that everything means nothing, On the road to Damascus they fell, Well I've been to Damascuc. It's hell, hell is where I'm gonna be, The devil my intimate friend, And hell is other people's hearts, And knowing that everything must end. Oh, it's over... And everything is wrong, everything has gone, And I know that everything means nothing, Oh, it's over, But I don't want to fight, I don't want to be right, I know that everything means nothing, On the road to Damascus they fell, Well, I've been to Damascus as well. I think, reading her quote about the actor, she is lamenting that as we grow and our ideas change we move away from the people we used to know, and away from sharing their ideas and their acceptance. Particularly in this case when it comes to religious beliefs. The first verse to me seems to be about separating herself from a friend or lover who is incredibly religious. The person once said to her: I'm losing the fight (converting people to this religion) or the fight is losing me (I'm giving up on it). She uses this to excuse what she's about to say, to try and remind the person that they have not always been blindly faithful either. What she's about to say, of course, is that she has lost the fight, and the fight has lost her. She reveals herself as not being part of this religion, not believing what this person believes, despite pretending for years that she did in order to be loved and accepted. Of course, this means that their relationship - along with the lie - is over ("The falling of our final curtain"). She explains that she wanted to be as confident of her beliefs as the person, but she was just unable to ("You've played yourself so well, And now I want to be you" - the person could be religious and be themselves, not play someone else, she envies this). The rest of the song goes on to say how no matter how hard she tried to convince herself to believe what those around her did, she couldn't. The more she tried to be part of the religion, the further away from it she was driven ("Oh, conversion has just left me heathen"). She keeps being told that not believing means going to hell, and now she is forced to accept it ("Oh, it's over I don't want to fight, I don't want to be right, I know that everything means nothing.") She knows in her heart that God exists and she doesn't want to have to believe that everything she thinks means nothing because it is not conventional religion ("I saw the light, I saw the light, But hey, it never saw me"). She's decided that since she's apparently going to Hell and the Devil will be her only friend, she's not going to spend her whole life waiting for the rapture, waiting for the second coming, waiting to get a sign like Saul did on the way to Damascus that the religion is right. Instead she's going to give up the guilt and live freely, along with earthly delights (mecca): And we could wait a thousand years Perhaps a million or more If it's worth waiting for But I'm leaving And so on to a mecca of earthly delights Depression is only desire deprived Once more unto the breach and fuck my getting it right We've died for so long Let's just get out alive She believes that she has also had experiences showing her the divine ("I've been to Demascus as well"), but no one cares because it's not written in the Bible. Thus she is condemned to do what, in the minds of the You in verse 1, is turning her back on faith and giving in to hell. "On the road to Damascus they fell" makes the great conversion of Saul seem like something negative - "they fell". Perhaps it refers to the failing of free belief?

I think I'll go home and mull this over Before I cram it down my throat At long last it's crashed, it's colossal mass Has broken up into bits in my moat. Lift the mattress off the floor Walk the cramps off Go meander in the cold Hail to your dark skin Hiding the fact you're dead again Underneath the power lines seeking shade Far above our heads are the icy heights that contain all reason It's a luscious mix of words and tricks That let us bet when you know we should've folded On rocks I dreamt of where we'd stepped And the whole mess of roads we're now on. Hold your glass up, hold it in Never betray the way you've always known it is. One day I'll be wondering how I got so old just wondering how I never got cold wearing nothing in the snow. This is way beyond my remote concern Of being condescending All these squawking birds won't quit. Building nothing, laying bricks. A comment on another lyrics site gave me the key to this interpretation: "First time I heard this song... it awoke me from a content slumber i had experienced after a night of heavy drinking and ending up in a bed of a girl i loved, but would never love me back. that's the way it'd always be and the years and alcohol never solved that problem and while my heart seems to have moved on, this song brings back that thought of that time and it'll stick with me forever." I think that should be the official prologue... anyone whose ever had a similar experience can, I'm sure, relate to this icy imagery. The setting is clearly somewhere other than home, and I imagine it as the scene of a wild night much like the one mentioned in the comment above. It's morning and the brief warmth from the lover has returned to it's previous coldness. The speaker wakes up and realises that he (for the sake of argument and since the singer is a he) needs to think about what has happened - and then convince himself: Convince himself that at long last it (the truth) has revealed itself. It is likened to an iceberg which has crashed and then crumbled into his protective layer (moat), which is a good description of how sudden realisation hits you with that horrible cold "thud" and then there's the falling apart trickling within you. Things begin returning to normal: the mattress gets picked up off the floor, the cramps from the night get walked off, the normal out of bed routine ensues (meandering in the cold as opposed to the warm bed). This is all an extended metaphor for what's happening internally: the comfortable place he has found with her is taken away, the memories are 'walked off' and they go from the place of warmth to the cold. "Hail" can mean 'praise', 'call for' or the cold bits of ice from the sky. In this case I believe it means all three. He calls for and praises her dark skin, wanting warm contact again - but the word 'hail' is also tied to the iciness of the song. During this part of the song I get the image of him reaching out and caressing her skin - hailing it - and she responds even though she feels nothing for him now, and even though he knows it too they seek shelter from the logic and reason of that in the electricity between them. And so they shade themselves from the "icy heights that contain all reason" underneath the powerlines (in the joy of physical electricity) - because electricity can bring dead people back to life (she is "dead again"). Power lines also present danger, as their continued relationship does. A mix of what was said and what was done "words and tricks" led them here despite this knowledge. "On rocks" is another icy reference as well as a reference to the uncomfortable (uneasy) sleep he has been experiencing while thinking about the 'ifs' and 'maybes' of what they could have done differently. He makes a plea for her to be grateful for what they had - hold her glass up as if in a toast - and hold in the fact that she knew there could never be more between them; at the same time telling himself to be grateful and never let her know how much deeper his feelings went for her: "hold it in, never betray the way you always knew it is". He knows one day he will wonder how he spent so much time with her being so cold to him, and never realising it. He realises that by saying all this he may come off as condescending, but doesn't care. Meanwhile the birds of dawn are squawking - while laying bricks could be a reference to the aggrevated sound of the birds, it is also a reference to how the sound of the birds of dawn is the start of the end - laying the bricks for the wall between the two people, breaking down something instead of building it. It is also a metaphor for the two people who will not quit, even though they are building nothing... they still continue laying down bricks.

I could have been a sailor, could have been a cook A real live lover, could have been a book I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock I could be Here and now I would be. I should be But how? I could have been One of these things first I could have been One of these things first. I could have been your pillar, could have been your door I could have stayed beside you, could have stayed for more I could have been your statue Could have been your friend A whole long lilfetime could have been the end I could be yours so true I would be. I should be through and through. I could have been One of these things first I could have been One of these things first. I could have beena whistle, could have been a flute A real live giver, could have been a boot I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock As simple as a kettle steady as a rock I could even be here I would be. I should be so near I could have been One of these things first I could have been One of these things first. I think it's important to look at the connotations of the things that he could have been... while I agree with all the interpretations here, they are very surface-level. I don't think he's referring to a literal alternative life (or carnation) but more contemplating metaphorically the fact that life is a series of choices that lead us to be who we are. With this specific person he could have been very different, things could have gone differently. But he wasn’t, and they didn’t. Even though he could try put things back together now… it’s too late. He should have been these things first, before the relationship ended. In the first verse he looks at what kind of person he could have been in general. “First” here refers to before he met the person in verse 2. He could have been an explorer (a sailer), a provider (a cook), a lover, someone who spent their time gaining knowledge about the world (a book). He could have been simply something to show others the direction they should go in (a sign post), he could have been simply something to show others the stage of their life they were at (a clock). He could have been simple and unremarkable (a kettle), he could have been strong and reliable (a rock). He could still be any of those things but doesn’t know how to change. In the second verse he looks at what kind of a person he could have been during a specific relationship. Here “first” refers to before the relationship ended. He could have been the person’s support (a pillar), an escape route from something else, or entrance into something different (door), could have been the unchanging constant that reflected what the other person was and belonged to the other person completely without taking anything from the relationship himself (your statue), could have just remained a friend (as difficult to be as all these other things). Then their relationship would have lasted a lifetime. He could have been, he should have been… before the relationship ended. In the final verse deals with the end of the relationship. The “first” here refers to before he had the experiences he had. Before he had had certain experiences, he would have had the choice to do either of these things (which are complete opposites). However after the experiences, the choice is no longer his. He could have been the one pointing out the problems, annoying and controlling (a whistle), he could have been the opposite, singing all the praises of the other person, trying to please them (a flute). He could have just kept giving and giving (a real live giver) or he could have ended it by just kicking the other person out of his life (a boot). He repeats that he could have been a signpost and a clock but this time meaning specifically to the other person – he could have been their warning sign, could have told them where they were heading, could have told them who they were. He could have made them aware of the days that passed, the commitments in life, time running out, kept them busy in between other things. Could have just been simple and unremarkable to the person, could have been a strong and reliable thing in that person’s life. Even now, divided by time and/or physical distance, he can still be those things to the person. But he should have been those things before they broke up… now it’s too late. The choices he made defined him and there is no way that he could be something other than what he is, there is no way the relationship could have gone any way other than how it did.

This is how it works It feels a little worse Than when we drove our hearse Right through that screaming crowd While laughing up a storm Until we were just bone Until it got so warm That none of us could sleep And all the styrofoam Began to melt away We tried to find some words To aid in the decay But none of them were home Inside their catacomb A million ancient bees Began to sting our knees While we were on our knees Praying that disease Would leave the ones we love And never come again On the radio We heard November Rain That solo's really long But it's a pretty song We listened to it twice 'Cause the DJ was asleep This is how it works You're young until you're not You love until you don't You try until you can't You laugh until you cry You cry until you laugh And everyone must breathe Until their dying breath No, this is how it works You peer inside yourself You take the things you like And try to love the things you took And then you take that love you made And stick it into some Someone else's heart Pumping someone else's blood And walking arm in arm You hope it don't get harmed But even if it does You'll just do it all again And on the radio You hear November Rain That solo's awful long But it's a good refrain You listen to it twice 'Cause the DJ is asleep On the radio (oh oh oh) On the radio On the radio - uh oh On the radio - uh oh On the radio - uh oh On the radio This song tries to answer the question "how does it work?" I agree completely with mindracer. The "it" is love, life and just existence. If you look at the first verse it's just a whole pile of conflicting emotions and images right bam on top of each other. There's a hearse, screaming, laughing, tiredness, heat, stinging, disease, love... The ones printed here aren't the actual ones, as many have pointed out. The actual ones are much more random. Your overall sense at the end of that verse is... "what the hell?" I think that's the purpose of the verse. It's not meant to make much sense. It's meant to be a whirling pile of images and emotions... just like life and just like love. I like bryce's idea that it's about an addiction (eg to heroine) and mytwohands also picked that up. But I think it's more in a metaphorical sense - as drug addiction has the highs and the lows so does life. The whole mood changes when she mentions the song "november rain" (guns and roses). If you look at the song it's a song about how life and love are temporary so enjoy them while you can. She says three things about this song - first that it's long (is one of Guns N' Roses' longest song according to Wikipedia), then acknowledges it's pretty, by the time she's heard it twice she says it's a good refrain. It's a nice thing to believe, that we can enjoy everything even though it's temporary. Interesting to note the rhythm of the two songs is the same and the music in the background of november rain goes dum dum dum dum de dum do do do do do do, which spektor mimics... this gives us the idea that she is listening to the song while she is thinking this one. And as she listens to the song play twice (by complete accidence, just because the DJ fell asleep) she has an epiphany about life. So I agree with Arcysparky that the song is divided in three, but i think that the important thing to note is that the title of the song is not "love and life"... it's "on the radio"... and also about the power of a song to change your view of the world. Before she hears the song life is just confusion and random images, then she realises that no... life is a series of beginings and ends... and then she clicks and she realises no, that's not it. It's more than that. And I think she says pretty plainly ("No, this is how it works... do it all again"). In the end the song is not that positive, but it is accepting. She is accepting the message of November Rain - that everything is temporary, yet there are always chances for a new start. Some lines from November rain that relate to this song are: "'Cause nothin' lasts forever And we both know hearts can change" (you love until you don't) "But lovers always come and lovers always go An no one's really sure who's lettin' go today" (walking arm in arm, you hope you don't get harmed) "Everybody needs somebody You're not the only one" (you take that love you made and stick it into some someone else - as in some person, giving them something to live for) At the end of the song she realises that life isn't that confusing if you accept that "nothing lasts forever, even the bad stuff." November Rain ends with: "'Cause nothin' lasts forever Even cold November rain" Perhaps unintentionally Spektor's ending "on the radio you hear november rain... you listen to it twice cause the dj is asleep on the radio..." implies that perhaps the cold november rain will last longer than you expect it to, but don't worry... it's just one of those things. That's how it works after all.

Fly silly seabird No dreams can possess you No voices can blame you For sun on your wings My gentle relations Have names they must call me For loving the freedom Of all flying things My dreams with the seagulls fly Out of reach out of cry I came to the city And lived like old Crusoe On an island of noise In a cobblestone sea And the beaches were concrete And the stars paid a light bill And the blossoms hung false On their store window trees My dreams with the seagulls fly Out of reach out of cry Out of the city And down to the seaside To sun on my shoulders And wind in my hair But sandcastles crumble And hunger is human And humans are hungry For worlds they can't share My dreams with the seagulls fly Out of reach out of cry I call to a seagull Who dives to the waters And catches his silver-fine Dinner alone Crying where are the footprints That danced on these beaches And the hands that cast wishes That sunk like a stone My dreams with the seagulls fly Out of reach Out of cry This is a song about the inner conflict faced by all human beings: whether to live in the industrial modern world or be in touch with nature. What this song points out is that we can never be completely happy with one or the other because "sandcasles crumble and hunger is human and humans are hungry for worlds they can't share" even though the city is an "island of noise in a cobble stone sea" While a seagull can happily live in both worlds, humans can be happy in neither. What i love about this song is how Joni's voice sounds like seaguls crying in certain parts :)

Marcie in a coat of flowers Steps inside a candy store Reds are sweet and greens are sour Still no letter at her door So she'll wash her flower curtains Hang them in the wind to dry Dust her tables with his shirt and Wave another day goodbye Marcie's faucet needs a plumber Marcie's sorrow needs a man Red is autumn green is summer Greens are turning and the sand All along the ocean beaches Stares up empty at the sky Marcie buys a bag of peaches Stops a postman passing by And summer goes Falls to the sidewalk like string and brown paper Winter blows Up from the river there's no one to take her To the sea Marcie dresses warm its snowing Takes a yellow cab uptown Red is stop and green's for going Sees a show and rides back down Down along the Hudson River Past the shipyards in the cold Still no letter's been delivered Still the winter days unfold Like magazines Fading in dusty grey attics and cellars Make a dream Dream back to summer and hear how he tells her Wait for me Marcie leaves and doesn't tell us Where or why she moved away Red is angry green is jealous That was all she had to say Someone thought they saw her Sunday Window shopping in the rain Someone heard she bought a one-way ticket And went west again I think this is a song about a holiday romance that meant a lot to this woman called Marcie. She was really in love with the man but he returned home and never contacted her again. The lyrics are beautifully expressive. Marcie tries to control her sorrow by buying candy, peaches and seeing a show. But it doesn't affect her sorrow. At first she is happy and hopeful, in a coat of flowers with flower curtains. Even though she has been waiting long enough for dust to gather, she busies herself with chores to make the days pass faster ("wave another day goodbye"). But life starts to fall apart. The fauset needing a plumber is an image of her being unable to stop herself from cryng or feeling sad. She had spent time with him on the beach but now the beaches are empty. Her emotion is transfered onto them as they "stare up empty at the sky". She is now getting slightly desperate and stops the postman to ask about a letter instead of just waving the day goodbye. The next part of the song is absolutely beautiful. There is a strong image of her hurriedly unwrapping a parcel (the string and brown paper falls to the sidewalk - she unwraps it before she even gets inside) only to find that it isn't from him. The coldness of winter sets in. She starts to lose hope and "dresses warm" against the chill that's setting in. She sees a show but it has no impact on her or her mood as she simply "rides back down" afterwards. Her memories of the summer have become like magazines that are fading and buried in her memory. Her summer is merely a dream. She gives up all hope in the last verse by leaving town - so even if he did write his letters wouldn't find her. She has not only lost hope but lost faith as well as is shown by her being seen on Sunday window shopping. I don't know what the use of red and green means, all I know is that they are opposites so maybe they represent opposite sides to her emotions? At first part of her is sweet about him leaving and half of her is sour, then red is focused on the autumn (current time) while green is dreaming back to summer, then red is for stopping hoping and green is for her running away, finally they both agree with red being angry with him for not returning and green being jealous of whoever he stayed for (a wife maybe?).

From in the shadow she calls And in the shadow she finds a way Finds a way And in the shadow she crawls Clutching her faded photograph My image under her thumb Yes, with a message from my heart Yes, with a message from my heart She's been everybody else's girl Maybe one day she'll be her own Everybody else's girl Maybe one day she'll be her own And in the doorway they stay And laugh as violins fill with water Screams from the bluebells Can't make them go away Well I'm not seventeen But I've cuts on my knees Falling down as the winter Takes one more cherry tree She's been everybody else's girl Maybe one day she'll be her own Everybody else's girl Maybe one day she'll be her own Rushin' rivers, thread so thin, limitation Dreams with the flying pigs, turbin blue and the drugstores too Safe in their coats and in their do's Yeah, smother in our hearts a pillow to my dots One day maybe one day One day she'll be her own And in the mist there she rides And castles are burning in my heart And as I twist I hold tight And I ride to work every morning wondering why "Sit in the chair and be good now" And become all that they told you The white coats enter her room And I'm callin' my baby, callin' my baby, callin' my baby, callin' Everybody else's girl Maybe one day she'll be her own Everybody else's girl Maybe one day she'll be her own I don't know if this song is about Tori or just about a random girl. I read somewhere that she said in an interview that it was about a part of her personality. I can relate to that. I think all of us have an "inner child" who will always be with us - a part of us who will never give up on who we wanted to be. The song in this case is about Tori always being what her parents and then her fans wanted her to be: being everybody else's girl and never her own. It features a conflict between the adult - who she *is* - and the girl she used to be that still dreams. This is a deeply symbolic song which says to me that it is personally about Tori – otherwise why bother with all the symbols? ------My long interpretation----- The shadows of the first verse will then be the shadows of Tori's subconscious where the repressed girl cries out for attention and tries to break through. Her photograph is faded because she is a thing of the past. The "image" carries a double meaning because it can mean a picture but can also mean her public self. Tori’s current image is under the control of the girl. “yes” is not a simple yes – it comes with a silent message from her heart which can be interpreted as the voice of the girl. “They” is not specific – it’s everyone and they only stay in the doorway of her heart. The violins filled with water is an image of great sadness because if I violin becomes filled with water it is destroyed. Violins may be symbolic of her hopes or dreams or aspirations and the public laughs as they are destroyed. She makes use of plant symbols in the bluebells and later the cherrytrees. Bluebells are said to help prevent nightmares, but even screaming the nightmare of the crowd laughing at her, won’t go away. Cherry trees are a symbol of friendship. Even though the Tori in the song is not even 17 yet she has already been hurt by life: falling down as the coldness of life takes away another friend – which is an important thing to someone who lives for others. The lyrics interlaced with the second chorus are complex but I think it’s more of a reflection of where her life is at the moment and how she smothers her dreams and desires or how they are smothered by those who try to help her cope with her feelings of depression–doctors/therapists/pharmacists. Rivers are always symbolic of life and her life’s energy is now spreading thin because of limitations and the fact that her dreams have as much chance of coming true as pigs flying. DOT is directly observed treatment/therapy where medical staff or a therapist will watch to make sure the patient takes the right number of pills etc. this seems the most sensible meaning for dots. While those who try and help her are kept safe from being affected by her depression by their professional distance (white coats, perfect hair dos, turbid blue uniforms), she is forced to smothers the voice in her heart (the one sending the silent message?). Yet the girl is still in the mist of her consciousness even though castles (fairytale dreams) are being destroyed in her heart. Even though Tori twists to escape the life she’s living, at the same time she is clinging to it: she still rides to work every morning even though she is wondering why. The answer is simple: when she was little she was told to sit in the chair and be good and become everything that others wanted her to be. The medical people (mentioned above) try to help Tori by going into her subconscious (“the white coats enter her room”) and Tori (now in the present tense) is calling for the girl trying to find out who she really is and hoping one day she will be able to be herself.

Intro ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya Ba ya ha ya ah ah ah ah ah ba ba ya ya ha ah ah ah ah ah ah ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya Ba ya ha ya ah ah ah ah ah ba ba ya ya ha ah ah ah ah ah ah Verse 1 There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea. You became the light on the dark side of me. Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill. Chorus 1 But did you know, That when it snows, My eyes become large and, The light that you shine can be seen. Chorus 2 Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. ...kiss from a rose on the grey. Ooh, The more I get of you, Ooh................... Stranger it feels, yeah. And now that your rose is is in bloom. A light hits the gloom on the grey. Inter ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya Ba ya ha ya ah ah ah ah ah ba ba ya ya ha ah ah ah ah ah ah Verse 2 There is so much a man can tell you, ..there....................woa... So much he can say. there's so much inside. You remain, you....... My power, my pleasure, my pain, baby To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny.. yeah. Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby? Chorus 1 But did you know, That when it snows, My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen. Chorus 2 Baby, I've... I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. been.............. kissed from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you ...ooh...........the.. Stranger it feels, yeah stranger it feels, ...yeah. Now that your rose is in bloom. A light hits the gloom on the grey, Bridge I've been kissed by a rose on the grey, ...I've been.......................I've... I've been kissed by a rose ...been kissed by a rose on the grey. I've been kissed by a rose on the grey, ...I've been.......................I've... ...And if I should fall, at all I've been kissed by a rose ...been kissed by a rose on the grey. Verse 3 There is so much a man can tell you, ..there....................woa... So much he can say. there's so much inside. You remain you....... My power, my pleasure, my pain. To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, yeah (L) Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby. Chorus 1 But did you know, That when it snows, My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen. Chorus 2 Baby, I've... I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. been.............. kissed from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you ...ooh...........the.. Stranger it feels, yeah stranger it feels. Now that your rose is in bloom, A light hits the gloom on the grey. Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey I've..........been kissed from a rose on the grey. Ooh, the more I get of you ...ooh...........the.. Stranger it feels, yeah stranger it feels. ...yeah. And now that your rose is in bloom aah-ee-aah... A light hits the gloom on the grey aah-ee-aah... Outro ba da ba da da da ah ya ya ba da da da ba ba ee ah Ba ya ya ba ba de ba da da da ah ya ya Now that your rose is in bloom, A light hits the gloom on the grey. Just btw it's not a rose on the grey, it's a rose on the grave... I agree with fireman24: I think the drugs thing is an extended metaphor for the high he gets from being in love so all the drug references *are* right, but he's comparing the love to a drug . He's so obsessed with this person he loves - who lights up his world when it seems at its darkest - that he's worried it may be unhealthy or even dangerous. He used to see himself as a "greying tower *alone* on the sea" but then she came along and made his darker side light. Love "remained" like a drug which made him feel high without him having to take a pill. "But" he says, when life is at its darkest ("when it snows") he is able to see that their love is more than that because she brightens up his world. He states plainly in the second verse that she is like a rose on a grave. A rose completely out of place (being a symbol of life (because it's a plant) and love, on a grave - the most gloomy thing imaginable. This means her love is just as out of place in his life which he sees as a grave. It's strange and out of place ("the stranger it feels, yeah") yet it brings light to the gloomy scene as flowers do at a cemetery. In the third verse he realises that if she ever left him he'd be completely destroyed: in this way she is like an addiction. There is so much that other men can offer her, yet she stays with him giving him power and pleasure but also pain (the rose metaphor again: even though gives pleasure, it also has thorns so gives pain) because he simply loves her too much, is obsessed with her too much, and cannot deny his addiction.

Sunny came home to her favorite room Sunny sat down in the kitchen She opened a book and a box of tools Sunny came home with a mission She says days go by I'm hypnotized I'm walking on a wire I close my eyes and fly out of my mind Into the fire Sunny came home with a list of names She didn't believe in transcendence It's time for a few small repairs she said Sunny came home with a vengeance She says days go by I don't know why I'm walking on a wire I close my eyes and fly out of my mind Into the fire Get the kids and bring a sweater Dry is good and wind is better Count the years, you always knew it Strike a match, go on and do it Days go by I'm hypnotized I'm walking on a wire I close my eyes and fly out of my mind Into the fire Light the sky and hold on tight The world is burning down She's out there on her own and she's alright Sunny came home Sunny came home... My interpretation was inspired by the movie "the burning bed" which I think was based on true events about an abused wife who eventually escaped the clutches of her husband by burning his bed (and their house) while he slept. She then took the kids off in the car. In this song however, there is a slight madness to Sunny - as if she has finally snapped. Firstly her name is ironic "Sunny" being bring and happy. It kind of gives that image of the abused woman who always makes an effort to appear as though nothing is wrong (who claims she fell down the stairs or walked into a door) "favorite room" is reference to being a housewife but if you listen to the song there is a slight ironic inflection on "favorite". The next line states that this room is the kitchen. The book and the box of tools, at first I thought of a a bomb kit... but maybe it is the Bible with fighting fire with fire? The tools is a box of matches. The chorus says how she is "walking on a wire". This, I see, as her tredding the line between sanity and insanity but also as her having to tip toe around her husband because if she puts one foot out of place, she gets beaten. The next line supports this by saying: "I close my eyes and fly out of my mind into the fire". This can be both a metaphorical escape from the beating and also her mentally snapping and going 'out of her mind'. The next verse is where I get the idea that she has finally had enough and mentally snapped. I don't have my own ideas on this verse, but I think the ones presented so far are good. I thought that maybe the list of names could be people who could help her/ she could take the kids and live with after she'd burned down the house? Then "repairs" says to me that she's finally reached a point where she knows that the only one able to save and repair her is herself. There is also a hint at anger with "vengence" so maybe the idea of the list of names being a list of her husbands girlfriends is right. Maybe finding out about his affairs is what finally makes her snap? The verse: "Get the kids and bring a sweater Dry is good and wind is better Count the years, you always knew it Strike a match, go on and do it" is said in a kind of demented/dreamy voice which is the final clue that she's lost it. "Count the years, you always knew it" supports the idea that it was a list of names of her husband's lovers that made her snap. "it" I believe is the fact that he didn't love her. Someone said a few comments ago that she brought a sweater because of the cold she'd be standing in while the house burnt... well I think it's that but also "bring a sweater" is a very normal thing to do. It's juxtaposed against this horrific scene to emphasise how she no longer believes what she is doing is wrong. It's also put there to show tht she thought about burning him and the house. It wasn't something spontanious but was well planned and thought through. "Light the sky and hold on tight The world is burning down She's out there on her own and she's alright" This just gives me an amazing mental image of her burning the house and standing watching it burn while holding onto her children. Even though the only world they ever knew is burning down, being out there in the world on her own and without her abusive husband makes her alright. Despite the horror of it, "light the sky" has a positive conitation, almost as if it is lighting the future (the skies always being related to the future). "Sunny came home" is repeated in a kind of ironic way because she doesn't have a home anymore but also in the more metaphysical way of her finding herself and "coming home" to the mental self she was before her husband abused her.