Irene

Though you hardly know her (now, compared to how much you will get to know her)

The lights on its way (the realization of love)

The hand that rests upon it (the hand on fate rests upon it, and is guiding the destiny of this love)

Still wanna stay (you still want to stay even though you are scared)

No way of recognizing (you cannot recognize it yourself now because they you don't have the wisdom)

The cat knows the call (symbolic because cats can sense when something is about to change)

Fair child is rising (the beautiful "child" of new love is coming to realization/ is rising)

There's no mystery at all (there is no doubt this is going to happen)

It's a strange paradise (love)

You'll be waiting (don't worry, you will be ready for it when it arrives soon)

'Though you hardly know her' - He just meet her, but it was love at first sight. 'The lights on its way The hand that rests upon it' - I don't know... Is it may be a metaphor for all the things he have to do to be with her?

'Still wanna stay' - These things are blocking him... He have to work hard to get her.

'No way of recognizing' - I still wonder does it means... 'The cat knows the call Fair child is rising' - When you're fair with a cat, the cat's fair with you too, so treat her as she treats you and love will rise.

'There's no mystery at all' - It's simple, just reciprocate.

'It's a strange paradise You'll be waiting' - Waiting for the time when the love will finally BLOOM and when it happen, will be his/her paradise.

It's always interesting to me how frequently people interpret songs to be based on love, but that's the beauty of art -- that it's up for interpretation :)

Anyways, this song to me is about death/the afterlife. I wish I knew about Victoria or Alex's views on religion/spirituality so I could have a better sense of this song but that's ok.

"Though you hardly know her The lights on its way The hand that rests upon it" --I think the reference of 'her' is a continuation from 'On the Sea' (the line I think is: Anyway in a name she takes shape all the same. A song that I also think refers to life/our souls)

"No way of recognizing The cat knows the call" -- You probably won't know when your life actually ends (you won't feel it). I think the line about the cat might be about how some people think that cats can sense when someone is about to die.

"It's a strange paradise. You'll be waiting" -- The image that most people have of heaven probably isn't true/or you might be chasing heaven or some perfect afterlife the whole duration of your life but it just won't come to you.

I also think it is about death and the afterlife. "It's a strange paradise" and "you'll be waiting" hint at a mysterious, unexpected afterlife where people you hardly knew will be waiting for you, and that contradicts what people usually think about Heaven (that loved ones and family will be there to greet us). But it's not a bad thing...I think the song reminds us that we all have it coming, but we're all in it together so it won't be so bad after we die.

"The cat knows the call"....I think it's a clever play on the phrase "cat call." In this song I think its normal meaning is subverted into meaning only cats can understand the mystery of life and death. The "fair child rising" refers to the fair soul of a girl you hardly knew (Irene?) ascending to paradise, and you're waiting to greet her.

I've always thought the lyrics was 'the wave recognises', not 'no way of recognising'

"The cat knows the call"

Is this some kind of idiom?