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Nine While Nine Lyrics

And it's passing strange
And I'm waiting for the train
Caught up on this line again
And it's passing slowly
Killing time but it's
Better than living in what will come and I've
Still got some of your letters with me and I
Thought sometimes or I read too much
And I think you know let's
Drink to the dead lying under the water and the
Cost of the blood on the driven snow and the
Lipstick on my cigarettes
Frost upon the window pane
Nine while nine and I'm waiting
For the train.....

She said do you remember a time when angels
Do you remember a time when fear
In the days when I was stronger
In the days when you were here she said
When days had no beginning
While days had no end when
Shadows grew no longer I
Knew no other friend but you
Were wild
You were wild.....

Frost upon these cigarettes
Lipstick on the window pane and I've
Lost all sense of the world outside but I
Can't forget so I call your name and I'm
Looking for a life for me and I'm
Looking for a life for you and I'm
Talking to myself again and it's
So damn cold it's just not true and I'm
Walking through the rain
Trying to hold on waiting for the train and I'm
Only looking for what you want but it's
Lonely here and I think you knew and I'm
And I'm waiting
And I wait in vain
Nine while nine and I'm waiting
For the train..... [repeat last verse x2]
Song Info
Submitted by
o0sid0o On Aug 23, 2002
16 Meanings

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Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

I seem to recall that "nine while nine" is a regional slang term meaning 9am till 9pm or similar.

@vigilant It's a Yorkshire expression for telling time. Nine while nine means nine minutes to nine o'clock

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

Love the song, not really sure what it means, however the line "Lipstick on my cigarrette" appears in Driven Like the Snow as well.

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

I think the train in this song signifies an escape from the pain of his heartbreak that is not forthcoming - it could be interpretted as suicide, literally travel, a new lover or even just a sense of closure.

Or even her to turn up... 'and I wait in vain'

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

Drug references? In a Sisters song? NO WAY!!!!! LOL

Some of the most beautiful lyrics ever written. I think that he is contemplating suicide over the loss of a lover.

"it's Better than living in what will come and I've Still got some of your letters with me and I Thought sometimes or I read too much And I think you know let's Drink to the dead lying under the water and the Cost of the blood on the driven snow"

I think he's desperately searching for a way to make his relationship work, and if he doesn't find it, he'll throw himself in front of the train.

"I'm Looking for a life for me and I'm Looking for a life for you and I'm Talking to myself again and it's So damn cold it's just not true and I'm Walking through the rain Trying to hold on waiting for the train and I'm Only looking for what you want but it's Lonely here and I think you knew"

Pretty literal, I know, but I've been there!

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

The train which Von is waiting is the one that Heidegger mentions in his Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics

"We are sitting for example in the tasteless station of some lonely minor railway. It is four hours until the next train arrives." etc

Heidegger refers to Boredom as a fundamental mood - In German the word is Langeweile. In his book H. points out that Langeweile is Lange Weile, that is, Long While.

Von is an avid reader of philosophy and ennui-ridden as well as guilt-ridden.

Neutral
Subjective
Enjoyment
Philosophy
Boredom
Existentialism
Heidegger
Ennui
Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

Frost upon these cigarettes Lipstick on the window pane and I've Lost all sense of the world outside but I Can't forget so I call your name and I'm Looking for a life for me and I'm Looking for a life for you and I'm Talking to myself again and it's So damn cold it's just not true and I'm Walking through the rain Trying to hold on waiting for the train and I'm Only looking for what you want but it's Lonely here and I think you knew and I'm And I'm waiting And I wait in vain Nine while nine and I'm waiting For the train.

Thats poetry, first song of Sisters Of Mercy i heard, no wonder i got stuck. :D

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

i really think this is about a friend of his that died.. adn he's trying to make sense of it all and moving on with his life..

..but there's always still that frustration

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

vigilant is correct, "while" is basically a synonym for "until" in certain parts of England.

This song is (and I need a synonym of my own pretty badly here) apparently (how many times have I typed that?) about Eldritch's One True Love (TM) Claire - their relationship forms the basis of several Sisters songs.

The real question is not whether we should be glad that their relationship ended in a heartbreaking way and provided the world with a few great songs because of it, but whether SHE CHUCKED YOU or YOU CHUCKED HER, Andy! Go on, tell us!

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

Vigilant/The Knave - Eldritch studied in Leeds - northern england, some of my freinds from that area say "while" ti mean "until".

A truly remarkable song full of emotion - the lyrics are poetic, and the way they are sung takes them to another level.

For me - i think its about the anguish felt in his volatile relationship. "caught up on this line again" - sounds like he has been "there" before, devastating pain after a argument/break up. I wonder if the line is a reference to two things - this as well - he used "line" to refer to drugs in songs like 1959 and Amphetamine Logic ?

Cover art for Nine While Nine lyrics by Sisters of Mercy, The

I agree with JAS. Abandonment. Waiting and waiting for her to comeback, but she never does.

 
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