Clearest Indication

I love this song. It reminds me so much of me and my love life... yeah. Not a good one, but at least I can feel like others go through it too.

Clearly, this song is about Newfoundland Independence, and not about love. For example, the numbers "51 to 49" is indicative of the narrow victory of Confederation over Independence in 1949, and the phrase "you left in the morning / you left without a word" is a reference to the willingness of most Newfoundlanders' to give up their Independence without a fight.

that could be so, but it does sound more like a love song. like he doesn't know where their relationship is at and he needs to know.

No way is this about Newfoundland Independence. It's about a relationship where they just don't know where they went wrong.

I think the most empowering line in the song is "and I know the silence, was the loudest thing I ever heard".

To love someone, but have nothing to say because you know that things just aren't going to work. To end up walking away because you don't know how to make things right. Sitting on the fence.. "51 to 49" means the decision is really close, and it's hard to draw a definitive direction either way, even though there's no choice. Just wanting to know that maybe there is still a chance!

Cheers Abosherpa

It's obvious that this song can be interpreted in two ways, but I believe that it is largely about Newfoundland independence. It wouldn't exactly be out of context for Great Big Sea to write about this, and the "like a country divided 51 to 49" line is the most obvious reference to the matter that I can think of. Also, notice in the music video the shirt that Newfoundland actor Allan Hawco is wearing. If that's not a shoutout to the Newfoundlanders, I don't know what is.

Like a country divided thats called a simile kids this is obvious a song about love

It is obvious that this song is about love, but I think it is a personal interpretation about who or what is being "loved" here. The "like" in "like a country divided" could refer to the quasi-independent state Newfoundland was at the time, as well.

I'm not going to say the song is "obviously" about anything, because like any great song, its meaning isn't immediately obvious, but needs to be seen in relation to the listener. On the surface it is about a failed relationship, but within there are symbolic references to Newfoundland Independence. So really, the song has two layers, two meanings. The real meaning is decided by the listener - how does this relate to you?

Obviously the great part about art is that you can interpret it however you find most meaningful, and that's great!

That said, I'd say that this song is about both a relationship going through a rough patch and the relationship between Newfoundland and Canada. It's comparing each to the other the whole way through.

As further evidence that the Newfoundland and Canada theme is important, this verse is in the alternate version of the song released on the "Rouge Waves" CD:

"They knew what they wanted And we gave it away Years ago, no one knows But a nation was lost in the trade

We're (?or maybe with?) the country divided 51-49 Years ago, no one knows Cause secrets don't fall from the sky."

This is really clearly about Newfoundland. I'm not sure what the first verse of the alternate version is about, and the last one is the first verse of the version on Sea of No Cares ("You left in the morning..."). In the context of the Rouge Waves version, it could either be making the relationship comparison, or it could be about people leaving Newfoundland for Canada to find jobs. But this definitely suggests that the Newfoundland theme was on their minds when they were writing the song.

I personally like to interpret Alan Hawco's character in the video as representing Newfoundland and the woman as representing Canada, but I don't actually know enough about the politics to know if that makes sense.