| Beirut – Port of Call Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think as a whole the entire Beirut album "Rip Tide" tells a story one stage at a time. Basically, in my head, it goes like this; 1) A Candle's Fire: The singer has (from now I'll assume man and woman) a girlfriend whom he can't quite admit his feelings for, or he has a problem with commitment; "A candle's fire is only just a flame... [A campfire] scares me just the same." He's wrestling with his real feelings for her before she leaves to go maybe from Santa Fe to East Harlem (see below) for a little while. 2) Santa Fe: Singer tries to justify him staying behind, or perhaps argue for his girl not to leave, Santa Fe. He talks about how maybe he's too young to commit before she leaves or something like that, "I'm just too young (And what of my heart)" 3) East Harlem: His girlfriend is gone. He pines for her but knows that when she comes back he'll be able to tell her how he feels; "And sound of your breath in the cold And oh, the sound will bring me home again." 4) Goshen: She comes back, but she's "Not the girl I used to know..." Perhaps she changed in her trip and came back a different person or with another man. It breaks his heart because he regrets never telling her how he felt, "What would you hide from such a glow, If I had only told you so?" At this point the album changes from being lovesick and hopeful to being shattered and depressed... The next couple songs I won't really get into here, but basically he goes through his depression which leads into Vagabond, a sort of recovery song. He's accepted his love lost and is ready to move on. 9) Port of Call: This is when he meets back up with the girl he loved, or perhaps sees her and they begin to talk; "I could only smile, I've been alone some time. And all, and all, it's been fine." He realizes that, because he never told her how he felt, he's partially at fault; "The faults were all swarming inside. Was it infantile, that which we desired? Were it up to me, all from your eyes." Like an above poster stated, it feels like he knows that and, in talking to her, admits his feelings but knows that they can never reconnect. They've both taken steps to move on and have both changed, but neither are bitter about their young love... "Be fair to me, I a may drift a while. If there's a plan for me, would it make you smile?" Just my interpretation. I feel like this album, more than any of Zach's others, tells a complete and very emotional story. Absolutely love it, like listening to a short novel in poetic verse! |
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