| mewithoutYou – Bear's Vision of St. Agnes Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| My interpretation of the song's ending ("Look how soon my hands won't move") is that this verse is the last set of thoughts that go through Bear's mind as he falls to his death. It is often said that in those last seconds, our whole lives flash before us. Having been a performer in the circus his whole life, Bear's last thoughts are related to this... and perhaps falling to his death is meaningful because Bear's livelihood in the circus involved walking (or bicycling) across balance beams, where he had surely imagined falling to his death before. "If you improve, we all improve," would have been something that was drilled into Bear's head throughout his life of rehearsing with the other animals. The Circus is a collective effort. This interpretation also squares nicely with many of Aaron's lyrics about community and realizing one's identity in relation to others (going back to the theme of Solipsism). As Bear falls, his body is gradually and then with the last line ("ten foot more and nothing moves") totally surrendered to death. In between these lines about losing control of his body, his Bear instincts kick in, and his body tells him he is going into hibernation ("fill our den with acorn mast, I'll wake before the salmon pass"). | |
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