Bells of Saint James Lyrics
Her letters gave me pride
Armies far across the ocean
Guns and letters by our side
It was someone else's homeland
It was someone else's war
But at the line of the 38th parallel
It was her I fought them for
I smelled those flowers in my sleep
The day I left as we were standing alone
She swore to me those dreams would keep
The bells of St. James were ringing down
Lifting the eyes of those homeward bound
Like Kansas summer turns to fall
But she quit talking 'bout the future
Never mentioned dreams at all
For love fires that fleeted long ago
But when she wrote me about this change in her life
There was just one thing I had to know
The bells of St. James were ringing down
Lifting the eyes of those homeward bound
The general scenario is clear: a guy is off to a foreign land to fight a war and gets his strength from the letters his wife back home writes to him. With time, the content of her letters to him changes not mentioning her dreams about their future anymore.
So the meaning really boils down to what that change in her life was. The first thing that comes to mind is that she has met someone else she has engaged with.
Contrary to what the lyrics in the booklet say, what they're actually singing after "There was just one thing I had to know" is "Are the Bells of St. James still ringing?". So maybe he is appealing to her to think back to their wedding day with those memorable bells of St. James ringing and cling to that vow of the past despite the love fires having fleeted long ago.
I choose to believe that she did the right thing and that their marriage has endured the hardships of life because that chorus is so uplifting (not only the eyes of those homeward bound (o;).
[Edit: Typo]
@KlaasVier Excellent analysis! Such an inspiring song with beautiful lyrics that have much meaning, making a good story. Your belief about ther conclusion of the story is well founded. I can't help but wonder if the song was commissioned for a movie about the Korean War. Just an amazing song. Steve Walsh and Steve Morse are great!
@KlaasVier Excellent analysis! Such an inspiring song with beautiful lyrics that have much meaning, making a good story. Your belief about ther conclusion of the story is well founded. I can't help but wonder if the song was commissioned for a movie about the Korean War. Just an amazing song. Steve Walsh and Steve Morse are great!