| Jethro Tull – One White Duck / 0^{10} = Nothing At All Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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mickemblow is the closest so far. This song makes more sense if you're from the UK, about the same age as Ian Anderson, and have ever gotten divorced. It's about the end of his marriage, as is Black Satin Dancer. Other on the internet understand this song my better than I and only Ian truly understands it, but here's my take. At the point the song takes place their marriage either is ending or has ended. My apologies, mickemblow, if I duplicate any of your replies. "There's a haze on the skyline, to wish me on my way." - he's leaving. For good. "And there's a note on the telephone --- some roses on a tray." - Just a observation of how normal and domestic things seem. "And the motorway's stretching right out to us all, as I pull on my old wings" - the road is calling him as he pulls on his shoes/boots. Probably a reference to Red Wing shoes. "one white duck on your wall." - It used to be common to have white ducks or other things as a decoration on the wall, sometimes one for each person living there. The fact that there's only one means she's the only one left. "Isn't it just too damn real?" - The pain and harshness of the split is about as "real" as it gets. You wish it was a dream, but... "Well the long restless rustle of high-heeled boots calls." - He's being lured by a woman, possibly a prostitute. "And I'm probably bound to deceive you after all." - He admits he can't be faithful. "Something must be wrong with me and my brain --- if I'm so patently unrewarding." - He knows she's not happy with him. "But my dreams are for dreaming and best left that way" - The marriage was a dream that he should have left as a dream. "and my zero to your power of ten equals nothing at all." - No matter how much she loves him, it doesn't matter if he doesn't love her. "There's no double-lock defense; there's no chain on my door. And I'm available for consultation," - he's not bound by the marriage and is free to be with other women. "But remember your way in is also my way out, and love's four-letter word is no compensation." - It could be just a reference to the door to their house being both an entrance and an exit or that she used sex to get him to marry her but he can use it to end the marriage and love, in this case, is profanity and not enough to fix things. "Well, I'm the Black Ace dog-handler: I'm a waiter on skates --- so don't you jump to your foreskin conclusion. Because I'm up to my deaf ears in cold breakfast trays --- to be cleared before I can dine on your sweet Sunday lunch confusion." - He's tired of having to do chores all week before they have sex once a week on Sunday, but she shouldn't assume it's all about sex. If I skipped any lines it's either because it's obvious or I don't know. :-) |
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