| Daughter – Run Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I honestly think this song is about a relationship haunted by drug abuse from the male party. Allow me to explain: "While I powder my nose He will powder his gums And if I try to get close He is already gone Don't know where he's going Don't know where he's been But he is restless at night He has horrible dreams So we lay in the dark 'Cause we've got nothing to say Just the beating of hearts like two drums in the grey I don't know what we're doing I don't know what we've done But the fire is coming So I think we should run" The powder in his gums is, as others have said, is most likely a reference to cocaine - snorting it, I suppose. And if she tries to get close (not only physically close, but if she tries to care for him and love him) he is already gone, lost in the drug; he is a different person, lost in whatever "wonders" the drugs are doing for him and detaching him from other people - also, drugs can have long-term social alterations in people, making them feel like the don't fit in (another reason he may be "gone" "Not knowing where he's going is a clear indication, I think, of her uncertainty for the future. She doesn't know if he'll still be around tomorrow, or nevertheless if he;ll still be with her. I can't see any other possible meaning for this - "going", in here, really heavily puts the word "future" into my head when trying to think of the meaning. Not knowing where he's been suggests that the singer is perhaps worried, or suspicions, of her partner's past. Perhaps she thinks he's cheating? Or something different? I feel there isn't enough detail here to make such a speculation. Her not knowing where he's been may also suggest she doesn't share these drug experiences with him, and he's the only taking them. Being restless at night and having bad dreams is, from personal experience and a bit of external research, both an effect and a side-effect of drug abuse. They keep him up at night, and when he does sleep it is riddles with bad dreams. They lay in the dark with "nothing to say", I think, because they have grown so far apart. They don't know how to talk to each other, yet stay awake because they are thinking - worried! - about what's going to happen if they continue as they are. "I don't know what I'm doing" may be a reference to his drug abuse. When on most substances, you don't actually know what you're doing. Everything is a blur, and time sometimes repeats itself (hence the repetition of this line). She thinks they should run because there is nothing else they can do. To run away from those problems would put them behind them. She wants him to leave his drugs, and "run" with her (WE should run). "While I put on my shoes He will button his coat And we will step outside Checking that the coast is clear on both sides We don't want to be seen No, this is suicide *But you can't see the ropes And I won't tell my mother It's better she don't know And he won't tell his folks 'Cause they're already ghosts So we'll just keep each other as safe as we can Until we reach the border Until we make our plan" Skipping to the first symbolic line (in my opinion), them not wanting to be seen, suggests that they are ashamed of each other. a Big BIG hint of an unstable relationship. She is ashamed of him for his drug abuse, and he is ashamed of her for.. well, I don't know. The "suicide" she talks of will be related to his drugs. He abuses them so much that he may well end up killing himself. (Correction here: *) But you can't see the robes, suggests that they may SEEM fine on the outside, but are strained and help apart from each other by mental differences and worries. She won't tell her mother, because her mother would scold her for being with someone suffering from drug abuse. And he won't tell his folks because they're already dead - presumably because of similar drug problems (going back to it being suicide: here is your reason to believe it will kill the man - it has already killed his family). So they just keep each other safe "as they can", trying to (I suppose) shield themselves from the reality of the situation. And until the reach a "border" (where they can cross over into the painful reality of their relationship) or a "plan" (some look at the future, and a chance at fixing things), they will keep shielding each other, and avoiding the truth. "Will you stay with me, my love For another day? 'Cause I don't want to be alone When I'm in this state Will you stay with me, my love 'Till we're old and grey? I don't want to be alone When these bones decay" The singer here seems to have a fear of dying alone. And even though their relationship is fractured and broken, she still wants to stay with him forever. Also, asking him to stay with her for "another day" and "'till they're old and grey" may be her asking him to stop his drug abuse. If he were to stop, he would be bale to live another day, and even until he's old, and in-turn be with her. And then the first verse is repeated, emphasising her confusion, irritation, and feeling conveyed at the start. Ultimately, this sing isn't specifically about drug abuse in relationships, but more-so simply about the dangers of running from problems, flying blind, without any kind of plan or idea of what is going on. -Harry. |
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