Lindisfarne I

I looked up 'lindesfarne' to find that 'lindisfarne' (slightly different spelling) is an island off of England. I took this to mean 'isolation' for Blake's context to the song. My interpretation is that someone is leaving Blake's life, and he is fearing becoming 'isolated' again because of it. The person is of 'kestrels breed' with huge ambition and vision. He thinks she is rushing into getting somewhere, and without proper thought or time to analyse ('tact to read') she'd take a liking towards him. He then repeats 'beacon don't fly too high' throughout this and the next song, as a plea - don't get too popular/successful that you have no need for me. The next stanza is dubious. I read it as '[thank you] for all your time,' spending time with him is nothing more than a 'playful crime' and 'a lesson lost again' refers to his poor social skills, and lack of getting better. This line reminds me a bit of Blake frequently referring to the fact he was an only child ('I never learned to share') and as such doesn't have the capacity to share feelings. The next stanza I takes a turn, in that she has left now. He feels pedestrian and anonymous - 'cute but I'll take the bus' just to be close to strangers. I find 'and a white that sometimes shone' a reference to the afterlife, and the speakers contemplation of suicide (mordbid yeah but I cant unread that haha). The song is beautifully come full circle with the first stanza being repeated again, encapsulating and containing everything that is said in the song. It's like he is going in circles, which would mirror reality - you meet someone, they leave at some point, you meet someone else.

Beautiful!

Kestrels breed, Looking further than I can see Without tact to read,

• Nature and life continues on, looking into the future but not being able to understand what itself is.

She'd take a shine to me

• A part of his life where he found love

Beacon don't fly too high Beacon don't fly too high

• The beacon represents life, don't fly to high could mean either facing mortality or drifting away from reality.

For all your time, Playful crime in rain

• A retrospective on his life, all of his time

Worth it being cold, Roofing for the lanes

• Love is worth it even if life is cold, love is the roofing for the lanes of life.

A lesson lost again A lesson lost again

• The issues life brings never get fully resolved.

Cute but I'll take the bus, With fees and favours gone Cracks in savers pass,

• Life is cute but its time to go and face his mortality, a free ride and no more favours. His saver pass is worn from all the journeys life has brought him.

And a white that sometimes shone

• Light at the end of the tunnel is shining

Wanton borrowed gun Wanton borrowed gun

• A cruel borrowed gun represents what took his life.

Kestrels breed, Looking further than I can see Without tact to read, She'd take a shine to me Beacon don't fly too high Beacon don't fly too high