The Blind Leaving the Blind: 3rd Movement

Continuing my interpretation from Movements 1 & 2. This is my favorite movement, but also one of the more difficult ones to decipher.

"O Woman, I'm your servant. I don't know anything, but I'm ready to learn."

The theme of debauchery is exhibited in full force in this movement, although instead of straightforwardly talking about proofreading messages and waking up with unwanted numbers and names, the language used here is more poetic, almost like invoking a religious spirit. Here, it's as if the narrator is speaking to the very essence of all that is female, addressing women as a whole. He wants to start dating actively again and admits that he doesn't know much about what women want and how to satisfy them, but he wants to learn so he can do his best with them.

"O Woman, I am starving for your approval. Be kind to me."

He's waiting for a positive response from her, putting himself at her mercy. Humbling himself before this powerful entity.

"The big city calls and your daughters are smiling through the windows of apartment buildings. I bet I look about as small as I feel."

For some reason these lines always remind me of The Great Gatsby and the way it describes New York City. I don't know why. Anyway, this is the narrator noticing all the women in the city and wanting to get to know them, to start a new relationship, but still feeling humble and lesser compared to them.

"Thank you, Jesus, can I have another? And another? Oh thank you, Lord."

As with the first movement, this line conflates religion and debauchery, as if Jesus himself is the bartender and the narrator is getting drunk by praying. It amuses me to hear this every time.

"But If it pleases thee to have them banging down the doors, couldst thou let 'em know what they're in for ain't good for you or me or them? Amen."

I'm not sure who "they" are in this context, but I have a feeling the narrator's right in warning others to stay away from him in this state.

"O Woman, I'm your servant, asking for the right to look you in the eye. O Woman, I'm dying for you to notice how far I've come."

Again, the narrator appeals to a feminine spirit, believing himself to be lesser to women as a whole. (Just like he referred to his lover's house as a cathedral in Movement 1, suggesting this worshipful behavior is common.) He feels that he's made progress in moving on from the relationship and moving ahead in life in general, but he still hinders himself by needing approval from this spirit (who could represent the specific women he's interested in, beside women as a whole).

"I'm moving downtown and your daughters are walking by me. I believe they're still deciding if they like having me around. If they like having me around, I need to know why."

The women of the city are represented again as daughters of the female spirit, the essence of womanhood. He isn't sure how these women that he's interested in dating feel about him. He feels the need to know if they like him, and why they do like him, as he's still considering himself as "lesser" to them and unworthy- or perhaps he simply wants to know why they like him because he wants to accentuate those attractive qualities in order to win them over.

"Goodwill's coming by to collect a box I filled with things I hate about myself, things I liked before I got here."

Metaphorically- he's trying to get rid of the negative aspects of his personality, trying to improve himself in order to make himself more attractive to others. He used to not mind these qualities until someone (possibly his ex lover, or maybe just society in general) pointed them out as flaws.

"Then I'll pick 'er up, and we'll do anything she wants, or anything they want, or anything you want. O Woman, I don't care."

Now that he's made himself more attractive in personality, he's ready to go out on dates and accept the possibility of a new relationship, while still bowing his head to the woman and going along with whatever she says. It's not really an improvement in my opinion, but I do like that the subject of changing oneself was discussed in the song. So many people do it.

"Lord, I'd be in your debt if you help my forget that heaven is mine for trying. 'Cause lord I don't know why you give me so much life, when I'm ultimately resigned to dying."

The movement takes a sharp turn for the disturbing in the last lines, implying that despite all this apparent newfound confidence, the narrator is still unhappy and dissatisfied with his life. To make peace with himself and his relationships with women, he has to make peace with his relationship with the Lord first.