Read the Blessed Pages

I think "Now I'm in memory" is supposed to be "Now a pained memory" as in a painful memory has somehow become a cherished (and thus no longer painful) story.

This song seems to be referring to the relationship that Stuart had with Isobel Campbell in the mid or late 90's, and there's a theory that Isobel had an affair with Aidan Moffat from the band Arab Strap when Belle and Sebastian and Arab Strap were both playing gigs in London together. That's what the song The Boy With the Arab Strap is about. Although it could have been someone else that Stuart was dating who had an affair with Aidan, not necessarily Isobel.

But the lines

Love and pain and sorrow Keep the band together

and

Making plastic records Of our history

would suggest he's talking about Isobel.

Yay, I just figured this part out: it's chapter

Ever will I love you
Now your chapter's over

Since the album title is "Belle and Sebastian Write About Love", I think this song is Stuart's love song to Isobel. They supposedly had a really bad breakup and eventually Isobel left the band in the middle of a tour, so everything ended on a sour note. And every time Stuart has written a breakup song in the past, like "I'm Waking Up to Us", fans always assume it's about his breakup with Isobel. But now it's around 10 years later and Stuart is writing that he's thankful for the love they once had. So with Read the Blessed Pages, he's written a tender love song instead of an angry breakup song. At least that's my take on it. This song is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes whenever I listen to it.

Actually, "chapter" totally makes sense, as it goes along with the "love is like a novel" metaphor. So he's saying that the women he has loved in the past have a chapter in his life (or their relationship is a chapter in his life).

This verse is the most beautiful and romantic verse that I think Stuart has ever written:

ever will I love you
you were good to me

My eyes water up every time I hear him sing that.

This is such a beautiful song.

Interestingly, Stuart (answering a fan q and a on the belle and sebastian website) said that the lines "Ever will I love you/Now our chapter's over/Ever will I love you/You were good to me" were about his father. The song seems to make sense as a sort of autobiographical account of his personal and "professional" past when thought of in that context. Though I'm sure there are many layers at work here.

As for the lyrics, I think that the line "Where the drain life starts?" might actually be "Where the train line stalls." Not sure about that, though.

I also think that these lines:

Now I'm in memory? Is a cherished story Known about the present And arrayed the past

Might actually be:

Now a pained memory is a cherished story moan about the present venerate the past

The last lines "Did I do my best dear? That's all you ask" really says it all, doesn't it? Sometimes you can try all you want but love comes and goes on its own accord.