| Keaton Henson – About Sophie Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| @[clairebaldwin9:2102] I shared the same thought! Especially with the lyric "I can't even cry", to show that even in her death he has been unable to be emotional. | |
| Iron & Wine – The Trapeze Swinger Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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For some reason, I've always read this song as a kind of suicide note, to someone he once loved, as he finally departs from the world. It's clear that their relationship has ended, but the "remember me" leading each verse suggests that there is more than just a rift between the two, that she will no longer ever be able to see him again, this element makes me think of a suicide note. He, firstly, remembers their cheerful memories together, asking her to remember him at the start of their relationship, happy and reckless. Then he moves on to ask her to remember him fondly - a demand frequently begged for on a person's deathbed. This verse, in my opinion, is the most beautiful of them all, for reasons I'll now explain: The singer states "I heard from someone you're still pretty," suggesting that she has moved on with her life, and they haven't seen each other in a while. He follows this with "and then, they went on to say, that the pearly gate has some eloquent graffiti. Like we'll meet again, and fuck the man, and tell my mother not to worry." I interpret this as a clear reference to suicide notes, as inscriptions on the pearly gates, as some form of last words. This suggests that he's referencing a conversation with an angel, who confirmed that she had moved on with her life (also a suggestion he may have driven past her every now and again to see how she was) and that his suicide note would join the ranks of many. The angel is done in such a hurry as death comes quickly, and the Angels that create the transition have to be doing so very quickly. He then asks her to remember him at a later stage in their relationship, when they were already together and with neighbours. He states that by the end of the night they had forgotten one another, suggesting they perhaps drank too much. The next morning he felt ashamed - possibly for excessively drinking - and states that now it seems silly to have been so ashamed, as he now looks back on it as a night of fondness. The fact she is, at the end of the verse, lit up by the City, shows that she has moved away from him, perhaps onto bigger and better things. "Please remember me, mistakenly" shows a sense of almost haunting. The line "in the window of the tallest tower" reminds me of the Henry James novel, Turn of the Screw, in which a haunting takes place. It seems to be that he wants her to see him in things, remembering him at moments in her life so he is not forgotten. A sense of living on within her heart even if not in the physical world is given off. There are more references to words left on the pearly gates, insisting he wants her to remember the words he left her with. "Remember me, as in the dream" shows a future they planned to share with one another, they had ideas about how they would spend their lives together, including having children with each other. However, his description of their surroundings shows a sense of dangerous environment, such as referencing prostitution - "ladies that called you what you liked, and even might give a gift for your behaviour". The ability to see the trapeze swinger may be a reference to being able to experience happiness. Originally, I thought the trapeze swinger was the singer himself, but now I see it more his own personal happiness. "Remember me, my misery, and how it lost me all I wanted." is a further reference to the fact that he lost her, his happiness, the trapeze act. It shows a reference to mental health, or perhaps guilt, coming into his life and taking away the things he loves. Eventually he is left with only himself. There are many references to religious imagery throughout the song, but evidently in this verse, as the singer names "St Peter's", showing a form of distrust in modern society towards religion. The phrase "who the hell can see forever?" questions not only God's omniscience but also a fragility of human life, showing that even though he planned his future with the recipient of the letter, he couldn't see how different his life would become. "Please remember me, seldomly" is a very important opening line for this verse. Notice how each time he ask her to remember him, there is a sense of gradually fading out his memory. At first he is to be remembered in his best moments, with fondness. Eventually it dwindles down to seldomly, showing he wants to eventually pass with time, and ease her grief. He wants her to carry on living and now rarely remember him, but when she does, he wants her to remember that their "trapeze act" or happy relationship was not meant to last, despite how much they enjoyed each other's company. He then states that he was beginning to anger, probably as he had imagined he would spend his whole life with her. The parking lot having an element of "danger" can suggest that perhaps she became afraid of him in his anger. "Please remember me, finally, and all my uphill clawing" shows that the singer wants the recipient to be aware of the hard journey he has gone on in order to become a better person. He goes on to state that if he reaches heaven, he will try to show her what it's like. Eventually ending that all the wonders of heaven will surround the trapeze swinger - showing that he will be happy, eventually, but only in death. |
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