Jonathan David

I haven't really read the whole part of the Bible where has the story of Jonathan and David, so I don't have any idea what that is about, but...

The general feeling I get from the song is that there are three people. Two guys and a girl. The guys are close friends, and they both like the same girl. The girl likes the guy who isn't singing the song, and the singer deals with this.

I know you like her Well I like her too I know she likes you It's not as if I'm being sent off to war There are worse things in this world

I really think this is so sad because the singer knows he doesn't have or stand a chance with this girl. His friend will get her. He obviously cares for his friend a lot, so he can't be angry. After all, didn't he fall for this girl? Who could blame him. When he get's to "it's not like I'm..." he is trying to tell himself things that will make him realize that a broken heart isn't the end of the world. I mean, it's not like he's being sent off to war? Sounds like one of those horrible things you tell yourself when you want to be okay with something that you aren't.

I think the whole rest of song is just continuing the story on this note. The singer keeps saying things like it's okay, his words attempt to make light of it all, but you can tell it really is deep hurting.

It's not like we'll be parted It's not like we'll never know love

We'll still be friends. We'll both know love (...only I won't get the love I'm longing for). It'll all work out despite my disappointment.

It finally ends with what I think is talking about how his best friend and this girl are engaged, and how he will no longer have his best friend, and no longer have his love.

There are a lot of other parts I'm fuzzy on, so I'll let someone else pick at those. This is totally just what I "see" when I hear this song, so I thought I would add my thoughts to the mix, whether that's how the song was intended or not.

Well, I think it's pretty obvious about the Jonathan & David references.

Jonathan was David's best friend ("he loved him as he loved his own soul") in the Bible. David married Jonathan's sister. Jonathan's sister helped David escape when Saul (their dad) wanted to kill David. (I'm sure if you google "Jonathan and David" you can get the whole backstory, but I'm not exactly that good at remembering Bible stories).

Basically, I think this song is about two guys who are best friends and one of them gets married and the other guy has to deal with losing his best friend to this girl.

I didn't see it so much as 'Jonathan' being in love with the girl as well - "I like her too" is him saying he likes her OK, and she isn't a major bitch or anything. I think it's more of, once his best friend's fallen in love and is getting married etc., things between both of them can't be the way they used to. He's hurt, resentful and jealous but can't afford to show it.

yes, the song does have references to the Jonathan and David in the bible. But Jonathan and David were more than just friends, which makes sense because otherwise one could have chosen other "best friends" for this song. Jonathan and David were lovers, which the church doesn't like to admit. This song is about an equally well hidden love. the song isn't tragic because the singer loves his best friends girlfriend, but because he loves HIM. If you don't believe me, look it up on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_and_David you will see there are different interpretations.

BandS played this song at Reading Festival this year and got a random girl out from the crowd to dance along. They introduced the song by saying one of them would play Jonathan and one of them would play David and they were fighting over this woman. during the song whichever of the guys wasnt singing would dance with the girl but at the end as they sang 'married and you'll be gone' Stuart (Jonathan) and the girl ran off stage. It was very theatrical and nice.

so that definitely supports Southbound's interpretation.

great song.

i realized the jonathan and david references but i didn't really know the backstory - so i thought it was about two friends liking the same girl and she likes one of them and the other guy doesn't really mind - i love this song regardless of if i'm wrong or right

Jonnyxx, I was at Reading and I saw them do that. It's not the only time I've seen them do that too.

Since the first time I heard this song I thought it was about two friends who like the same girl, and one of them is trying to convince himself that it's okay, just like Southbound says.

Also if you see the video with the full story (they have two on youtube, one of them is edited together with a performance and one is just the story of the two boys and the girl without the edits), it supports this. It shows Stevie and Stuart clearly both in love with the same girl, then one night Stuart gets the girl and Stevie is destroyed, but at the end it shows him taking photos of them before they speed off in the car together to the lines "you will be married and you'll be gone". It's incredibly sad.

I think this is my faourite belle and sebastian song because it's just so simple but it makes so much sense. Oh, and the lines "it's not as if i'm being sent off to war, there are worse things in this world" are always helpful for a broken heart.

I think the line "It's not as if I'm being sent off to war", is a reference to the biblical king David sending Uria off to the front lines. Uria was the husband to Bathseba in whom David had a sexual interest. Uria was killed in the war, as anticipated by David, who could have his way with Bathseba because of that.

Incidental to the main point, but "Jonathan David" is a rather odd way of putting the title (no "and" etc) - a possible reference to Stuart David, the bassist?

Unfortunately, I find myself in the David position right now.