In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
He was so kind, such a gentleman tied to the oceanside
Lighting a match on the suitcase's latch in the fading of night
Rufflde the fur of the collie 'neath the table
Ran out the door through the dark
Carved out his initials in the bark
Then the Earth shook
that was all that it took for the dream to break
All the loose ends
would surround me again in the shape of your face
What makes me love you despite the reservations?
What do I see in your eyes
Besides my reflection hanging high?
Are you off somewhere reciting incantations?
Sim sala bim on your tongue
Carving off the hair of someone's young
Remember when you had me cut your hair?
Call me Delilah then I wouldn't care
Lighting a match on the suitcase's latch in the fading of night
Rufflde the fur of the collie 'neath the table
Ran out the door through the dark
Carved out his initials in the bark
Then the Earth shook
that was all that it took for the dream to break
All the loose ends
would surround me again in the shape of your face
What makes me love you despite the reservations?
What do I see in your eyes
Besides my reflection hanging high?
Are you off somewhere reciting incantations?
Sim sala bim on your tongue
Carving off the hair of someone's young
Remember when you had me cut your hair?
Call me Delilah then I wouldn't care
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"Sim Sala Bim" is (a possibly fake) meaningless Indian phrase comparable to "Hocus Pocus". Delilah is from the Old Testament. For money, she coerced Samson to tell her the secret of his strength, which lead to his capture. A “Delilah” is a treacherous and cunning femme fatale.
The narrator seems to be singing about someone who travels a lot, and is, therefore, away from him a lot. The line, "What do I see in your eyes, besides my reflection hanging high," indicates that he is the singer’s father; his reflection is hanging high above him in his father’s eyes. The singer loves him because he is his father, but he has reservations for good reasons. The guy is always travelling away from his family. He even leaves his family to go on spiritual quests, reciting, "Sim sala bim." At certain points the singer sees through his familial love and starts to realize that his father is far from perfect ("the dream to break"). "Cutting off the hair of someone’s young" could refer to the father having a second family. He should be cutting the singer’s hair, not someone else’s young.
My only guess on the last lines are that the singer is actually his daughter. She perhaps feels that she is betraying her father by feeling that he is not a good person. If he would accuse of her of this she could finally break away from him. I guess everything above works pretty well if the singer is actually his wife.
this is off of the top of my head so im not sure, but wasnt samsons power in his hair? and when they cut it he lost his strength. this would make sense as regards the cutting hair line
I believe the line "carving off the hair of someone's young" is a continuation of the previous two lines. I think it refers to using hair as an ingredient in a magical potion.
@clovus "Sim Sala Bim" is Danish.... <br /> <br /> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_August_Jansen<br /> No need to assume a cultural derivative by the way.