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40 Versions Lyrics
I never know which version I'm going to be
I seem to have so many choices open to me
It's not hard to see another unique event
When you miss the beginning and you miss the end
I've got forty versions all dying to get the part
And so with a change of mind comes a change of heart
A total eclipse arrives now and Niagara Falls
No loss of blood yet and no further calls
I never know which version I'm going to be
I get the feeling my mind is deceiving me
In between are where only edges can be seen of the spaces
I seem to have so many choices open to me
When you miss the beginning and you miss the end
And so with a change of mind comes a change of heart
No loss of blood yet and no further calls
I get the feeling my mind is deceiving me
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The perspective of someone with either schizophrenia or multiple personalities (or perhaps bipolar?) describing their mental state. Very ominous, yet serene.
Although the lyrics can be taken at face value, as Cynothoglys points out, that it's about someone with schizophrenia or multiple personalities.
But I also take it as a metaphor for Wire's incredible artistic growth from 1977-1979, this being the final song on the final album in that great run. Newman and the rest of the band just had so many ideas, being constrained in a "punk" band like Wire wasn't allowing them the artistic freedom they needed.