Holding Back the Year

I was really hoping to come here and see some opinions on this song, but I guess maybe I'll take a stab at kicking up a discussion.

This is currently my favorite song on this album by far, maybe because I got an acoustic version out of KEXP-Seattle's in-studio archive before buying the studio recording and the more stripped down version is much more evocative than anything on the album.

I see this sort of as a relationships (presumably marriage) has its nasty spots, but somehow we persevere kinda message. Maybe I'm way off base (why I wanted to see some other opinions).

The poison in the second stanza can mean all kinds of things, some sort of incident (e.g. infidelity), the condition of being in a long-term monogomous relationship, or even possibly some sort of actual sickness or literal poison (although I prefer to interperet it metaphorically). I like the line, "I held you back, grabbed you by the arm; I played upon your fear". I see that see that as a stereotypical male reaction to adversity in a relationship, but rooted in a lot of reality. The bit I like is the innocence in it, how it's sort of a calculated act of desperation and not an indication of a truely violent nature.

The next bit I see as sort of a grasp at normalcy, just a couple snippets of how you get through the day. I see somebody out driving, trying to escape a potentially volatile situation, stopping off at a fast food joint to get a sausage biscuit if they're still serving breakfast. I think there's a "roll me in your arms" line that's lost in the transcription above, as in let's forget the quibbling and have a comforting return to intimacy.

In the end, life turns kind of monotonous (sorry to reuse the same term) and lame. Entertaining lame friends and turning in early. Raising a cat and being thoroughly domesticated. That's how it works out though, and you remain content in the relationship.

Holding back the year is just persisting on and on.

I don't know, I'm not 100% clear on it, but it stirs up some vivid emotions, which I really like. I tend to think that lots of songs aren't written with a real clear, this is what it's all about, purpose, but give the listener a little room to interpret and make it their own.

Anybody else like this song?