The Sorrowful Wife

I always interpreted this song as being about Nick (or the speaker, if you prefer) struggling to conquer his drug addiction after getting married. I know that when Nick Cave met his wife, Susie Bick, he was just getting off his heroin addiction.

The song suggests that he promised her that he would stay off drugs, but some time after their wedding he broke that promise and he's now begging for her forgiveness. The line, "our friends awarded her courage with gifts," always seemed so sad to me -- it's like their friends were telling her that she was brave to marry him and stay with him considering his addiction and, maybe, other problems that he could bring to the relationship. Perhaps others warned her against the marriage, but she went ahead with it anyway because they were in love.

I think the most telling lines are these:

"The task of remembering the telltale clues Goes to my lovely, my sorrowful wife Who is counting the days on her fingers"

The "counting the days" line could refer to pregnancy, as others have noted, but I think it's also likely that she's counting the days that he's been clean...kind of like how recovering alcoholics keep track of their days of sobriety in an AA program. The "telltale clues" are probably signs that he's been using again. Or, perhaps even if he isn't using, she still has the burden of keeping her eye out for the signs.

The whole "come on and help me, babe" at the end, which sounds so different from the rest of the song, pretty clearly communicates that he deeply regrets breaking his promise and he wants her to help him so that he never does it again. Such sad, humble, vulnerable lyrics. One of Cave's best.

"I made her a promise I could not deliver" Well there's the key to the song right there. He said he would or wouldn't so something but he didn't or did and she's suffering for it. He feels for her pain but at the same time he wants her to help him avoid temptation. These line: "A loose wind last night blew down Black trees bent to the ground Their blossoms made such a sound That I could not hear myself think babe" Are simply amazing. Especially the way he delivers them.

I don't think the relationship was doomed, I think he didn't try hard enough and he's sorry for it. Avery honest and powerful song

Another thought I just had -- the line "the water is high on the beckoning river" could suggest that, at his lowest point, he's had thoughts of suicide. As in, the river seems to be beckoning him to drown himself in its waters. Even more chilling.

I don't think that narrator is dead from the start.

This songs' timeline goes through fall to spring.

This album is released in 2001 after Nick fought his alcohol and drug addictions thus i think this song is about his addiction.

Ironic thing is that main character in this song is barely alive in first part of the song, and songs' tempo is very slow. After he dies, song picks up the pace and he screams(his mind) but can't do anything cause he's dead and silent.

"I married my wife on the day of the eclipse"

This has literal and symbolic meaning at the same time. You guessed that symbolic meaning of eclipse is some kind of doom. Also, eclipse takes place at October and could symbolize near end of cycle(life if you want).

Then he says: "Our friends awarded her courage with gifts"

In my view narrator is seriously ill(addiction?), but he and she believe in recovery and friends awarded her courage with gifts because she is brave enough to try to convert him.

"Now as the nights grow longer and the season shifts" Month or 2 passed from the wedding

"I look to my sorrowful wife Who is quietly tending her flowers"

This represents her hope in him. Person who's tending flowers expect flowers to bloom in near future, thus she expects him to "overcome" his addiction.

"The water is high on the beckoning river" Clearly month or 2 more, passed since rains fall, snow melts and river is high.(Januarry, Februarry) "beckoning river" indicates suicidal thoughts.

"I made her a promise I could not deliver"

He promised her that he will be "clean", but failed.

"And the cry of the birds sends a terrible shiver" "Through me and my sorrowful wife"

The cry of the birds is innuendo of death, especially raven and crow which are almost only birds you can hear in winter. This is "turnover" in song. At this moment some kind of lethal disease developed by his addiction(like cirrhosis in alcoholics) and they sense near death.

"Who is shifting the furniture around Who is shifting the furniture around"

She prepares for life without him

"Now we sit beneath the knotted Yew And the bluebells bob around our shoes"

It's spring(bluebells) and he is dead. "knotted Yews" are growing on cemeteries and near churches also Yaw symbolizes ascension and immortality.

"The task of remembering the telltale clues Goes to my lovely, my sorrowful wife" He is dead and he remembers nothing. Also, it is said that if one falls asleep under Yaw tree, he/she will loose memory.

"Who is counting the days on her fingers" She is counting the days for how long he is gone.

"Come on and help me babe Come on now Help me babe I was blind"

Also very strong indication of his guilt and addiction.

"The grass here grows long and high Twists right up to the sky White clouds roll on by"

One more clear indication that he is dead. Imagine yourself lying under the grass. What would you see? Grass reaching to the sky and clouds roll on by.

"A loose wind last night blew down Black trees bent to the ground Their blossoms made such a sound That I could not hear myself think babe"

He is dead for some time now and this indicates that he is in so quiet place that even things that are soundless to us(blossoming tree) seamed to him like unbearable noise.

Sorry for my English (not my native language).

This song is really good. Love how it goes from calm to aggressive and the lyrics are great too. "I married my wife on the day of the eclipse Our friends awarded her courage with gifts"

• There was no possibilities for this relationship to work out. I find this part of the lyric sad, but also kinda funny ;)

at first I thought the spokeman is a person who has a wickness for sunlight beacause of the eclipse and the nights growing longer and the emphassis on darkness cold closure and clautrophobic feeling. I do agree that the eclipse symbolises a relationship that is ment to be doommed, though I think the spokemam is somehow badly messed or conflicted and his wife sufferres for it, all he can do is to feel pittyness for her sorrow, this problem he possess was an issue already at the day they were married, since their friends rewarded her courage with gifts... I am questioning it... help me here

As far as I know, he wrote this about his wife. They were married on the same day as an eclipse and he's said that she arranges furniture. This comes into Babe I'm On Fire as well, his wife arranging furniture (he plays her in the video).

I don't know what he meant by the song though so I can't add anything to the meaning. I could be wrong about the stuff above because I can't recall where I heard him say that.

"Counting the days on her fingers" - I've always thought that this means she's pregnant.

she married a man who she thought to be perfect, he made all these promises, gave her such a great veiw onto her future, but then as she married him, and as they lived together, she relaises he is not what he seems