Naked as We Came

I think it's a melancholy comment on the nature of relationships. It's about the cyclical nature of relationships that parallels the cycle of life. You can take many of the lyrics literally and they work, but I think there's a deeper subtext that makes more sense. For me the key to interpretation is in the beginning...

"She says wake up, it's no use pretending I'll keep stealing, breathing her"

She's saying there is no use in pretending they will last forever.

All relationships come to an end whether through a physical or emotional death. He's "stealing", as in denying the inevitable end of their relationship and acting like they will be together forever. Breathe = life. He'll keep breathing her, trying to maintain the life(love/relationship) even though it will end. No more breathing = death.

but alas..

"Birds are leaving over autumn's ending One of us will die inside these arms"

birds migrate seasonally which perpetuates the cycle idea where there's always a beginning and an end. Autumn symbolizing the end of life or in this case the life of the relationship.

One of us will not always be there to love the other, whether through falling out of love or actual death. One of us dying in these arms equals, one of us will fall out of love, exit the relationship and thus the relationship is dead.

"Eyes wide open Naked as we came"

With every end is a new beginning. perhaps a new relationship and the cycle continues. Naked as we came. We came into the relationship with nothing and created and invested and yet at the end, we are as naked as we came into it. It's dead, it's over. Starting from zero.

"One will spread our Ashes round the yard"

In this case, it'll probably be him "spreading the ashes" or memorializing their relationship and not wanting to let go. One of us will move on and one of us will lament what's been lost. People don't fall out of love at the same time whatever the reason.

"She says if I leave before you darling Don't you waste me in the ground"

In other words she knows one day it'll end between them, so she's telling him move on and don't grieve over her when it happens. He doesn't want to accept this, hence he keeps stealing, breathing her. No one wants to lose what they love.

What a terribly sad thought that the one you so passionately love will not always be there. They may leave, fall out of love, or even die. No matter how great the love or relationship is, it's all only temporary and will end as it began and all that's been acquired will be lost. Sad, but true to life.

And though it ends, it still doesn't diminish what was, hence...

"I lay smiling like our sleeping children"

I do not take children in the literal sense here. I think of children as a metaphor for their relationship, especially that which was good. All that came from being together that couldn't have happened independently, just like children can not be created independently. She lies smiling meaning she accepts the inevitable end of the relationship and smiles (a happy reflection) of what was between them, which now "sleeps". Sleeps being another metaphor for death or the end.

Also, note the album this song is off of...Our Endless Numbered Days.

the ironic title suggests...there's no end to the cycle of our days which will always end.

cycles in life seem to be recurring them on the album (see sunset soon forgotten).