Interlude 1

This song is very much about OCD. I have the disease myself, and the second part immediately made me cry the first time I heard it.

The first "verse" describes a compulsion, and the second part describes how it feels before you complete a compulsive action -- it's hard to explain, but it feels like you MUST do it or everything will go wrong. You or your family members will drown, or break bones, or get lost, etc.

What a powerful song. Like other reviewers, I really love that it doesn't particularly pity the woman it talks about, just describes her situation and how it feels to live like this.

My OCD is kicking in - the lyrics above are not exactly right. Great song though! I don't think it's entirely about compulsion, more so that some of us lead very ritualistic existences because they are comfortable and feel like home (i.e. the woman who lives by strict stepping patterns). That existence is juxtaposed with the last few lines, in which it is supposed that all we really need to survive on are instincts alone, with no plan (like dogs balancing out what is ripe and what is ruined). Both lifestyles are somewhat flawed, and the proceeding song, Tessalate, really plays into showing the downside of primal living.

My two cents!

“Interlude 1 talks about a young woman who dreams desperately of a carefree life - with no hiccups, trauma or obstacles. She prays to only ever be happy and hidden from worry and her cries are answered by barking dogs.” - Alt-J's comment on the song on their sound cloud page https://soundcloud.com/alt-j/comments

She she she she only ever ver ver ver ver , Walks to to count count her steps, Eighteen teen strides and she stops to abide By the law that she herself has set. That eighteen steps is one complete set, And before the next nine right and nine left. She looks up up at the blueeeeeee, And whispers to all of the above.

Don't let me drown, don't breathe alone, No kicks no pangs no broken bones. Never let me sink, Always feel at home, No sticks no shanks and no stones. Never leave it too late, Always enjoy the taste, Of the great great great grey world of hearts. As all dogs everywhere bark bark bark bark It's worth knowing, Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in The ripe, and ruined.

i was thinking autism....maybe someone that requires care......and someone that sees the world a little differently than the average joe.

he is describing someone who is going through a rough part in life, when everything is difficult to do, even the simplest things: "That eighteen steps is one complete set, and before the next nine right and nine left". "She looks up at the blue and whispers to all of the above" she is desperately praying for help to be able to go through this; she really wants to get out of this emotionally dark pit but doesn't think she can do it on her own. "all good fruit the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin."- but this is what life is... to enjoy the good parts you need to learn how to deal with the difficult moments.

yeah, i definitely think it's about someone with OCD, or at least someone very idiosyncratic. the meaning beyond that seems pretty wide open to interpretation, but the whole vibe of the song seems really positive. there's no pity towards this woman; it seems to me he just wants to tell the story of her idiosyncrasies and expose the beauty that exists in the differences between us as people.

I think one of the most compelling proofs that this song is about OCD comes from the repetition of words. Whether the intention or not, its there. In some OCD sufferers, the compulsive need to correctly say a sentence, or even a word in a sentence, is a very real problem. Wonderful olde english melodies in this jam.

It's cool that not only is the song about someone who's OCD, her number is 18 and the verses almost have 18 syllables, but best I can tell they never hit 18.

As mentioned by hairlesspet, i think the lyrics are a bit off. it's definitely that she worries what will happen if she fails to stop and recognize the completed set, and the correct (or at least closer to correct) lyrics help show that.

Here is what I think it is. Asterisks or Markdown bold around the corrections, thanks Mr. Obvious

Eighteen teen strides and she stops to abide by the law that she has self her set. (That's a tough one because self her instead of herself)

That eighten steps is one complete set, And before the next nine right and nine left.

She looks up up at the blueeeeeee, and whispers to all of the above.

Don't let me drown, don't breathe alone, No kinks, no pangs, no broken bones.

...

Never leave it too late, does enjoy the taste

For the love of god when are these lyrics going to be corrected? They're terrible.