These Days

This may be a weird interpretation but I personally don't think she's talking about another person, but is personifying a part of herself; the dark side, all her insecurities and fears and flaws. She uses metaphors of dark and light throughout the song. She used to let that side of herself become her, "cling" to her, "define her", "coil itself around her". And then other times, on 'summer days and nights' when she was filled with the lighter side of herself, "when the moon was full", she would feel almost blissfully unaware of its existence, but she knew the darkness in her was there and was "stronger" than the light and she feared it, i.e. she feared coming to terms with her imperfect self. But 'these days' she has learnt to accept that it is a part of her, and she watches it, distances herself from it ("a little further away"), accepts it, walks with it. Like Freud's 'hovering consciousness', she has a continual dialogue with it. Her voice in the chorus is totally accepting, humble. It reminds me of this poem actually. I think the two have similar meaning. I went there of my own free will. I went there in my finest gown, With my rarest Jewels With my Queen of Heaven crown. In the Underworld At each of the Seven Gates I was stripped Seven times Of all I thought I was Till I stood bare in who I really am. Then I saw Her She was huge and dark and smelly and hairy with a lion’s head and lion’s claws devouring everything before Her Ereskigal, my sister She was all that I am not All that I have hidden All that I have buried She is what I have denied Ereskigal, my sister Eriskigal, my shadow Eriskigal, my self

I keep resubmitting the lyrics and it keeps changing them back? I don't get it because the version here is very clearly wrong. There were nights and mornings When you CLUNG to me** And: After all you were more strong then, I was daring**

My sister just opened my eyes about the meaning of this song. She said Ane Brun sings about a disease or a medical condition (maybe with no cure invented). At first you fight, you deny to accept it, but lately (these days) you finally start accepting it and learn to live with it, bringing it with you. So this song is about the acceptance of an incurable disease or a medical condition, as HIV and AIDS for example.