| The National – Abel Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| From the first time I heard it I thought of Abel as the little brother of Cain and identified the first person as the evil brother, Cain. To me it's an interpretation of the difficult relationship between two brothers: Abel, good and rational and worried for his brother, Cain anxious and into trouble, at the same time trying to get his brother's sympathy ("my mind's not right") and trying to talk him into helping him to break loose and do something wrong ("Abel c'mon, give me the keys man..."). I can imagine this modern Cain being an addict, or a potential suicide, or a and his little brother Abel keeping him locked to prevent him from reinciding in his habits. | |
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