The Line That Ties Me

This song is, to me, so powerful and haunting. There is so much in this that I think most people would be able to relate to it. My interpretation is this:

"The walls are talking and the only person who can hear me is nearly gone I stand by your bedside, on the edge of words That I can't say, for the fear that I might fall"

This kind of describes being by the death bed of a person who you love so much, and she (the narrator) doesn't know what to say, what do you say in a situation like that? She is afraid she'll fall, back into love? Into depression? Or fall physically (this one is extended further on).

"Maybe I'm afraid that the pictures that I paint Won't capture the beauty of you"

This is fairly easy to understand — she doesn't know if she can do her lover justice through words or artistic expression.

"And the last thing that you hear is the silence in your ears As I sink beneath the weight of it all"

This kind of extends the metaphor of the entire stanza — she is silent, and devastated, unable to speak for the fear of fall, and for the fear of not doing her lover justice.

"I could call you my lover, call you a beast Call you the island, where faith doesn't reach Call you a lion, call you a man You're the line that ties me to things I don't understand"

This is the most poignant part of the whole song. You could call your lover by any name, describe them in any way and despite all this, the description would be largely moot, as what you're trying to describe is so something you cannot understand.

"Your smile as it withers, is as pretty as the picture You wouldn't sell to the lady next door"

This, to me, solidifies the notion of the death bed — this person is withering and so is their joy and hope, yet despite this, they are still beautiful.

"You tell me music and art, it doesn't have a price It's for the heart, I should give it away Use it for the freedom of us all"

This reads as a last will, a request made by her lover, for the narrator to keep giving the gift of her music, which (in her lover's mind) will set people free. This freedom could be gained through the acknowledgement of pain, or finding a way to express the beautiful perfection you find in a person.

All in all, this song is a kind of dirge, something that is able to resonate through the human experience — we all lose someone we love and often we unable to come to terms with it, especially when their death is so visible (i.e. seeing the person fade on their death bed).