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Divers Lyrics
The diver is my love
(and I am his, if I am not deceived)
who takes one breath above for every hour below the sea
Who gave to me a jewel
worth twice this woman's life, but would cost her less
than laying at low tide to see her true love phosphoresce.
And in an infinite regress,
tell me why is the pain of birth
lighter borne than the pain of death?
I ain’t saying that I loved you first,
but I loved you best.
I know we must abide
each by the rules that bind us here:
the divers and the sailors and the women on the pier.
But how do you choose your form?
How do you choose your name? How do you choose your life?
How do you choose the time you must exhale and kick and rise?
And in an infinite capsize,
like a boat tearing down the coast,
double hulls bearing double masts.
I don’t know if you loved me most,
but you loved me last.
Recall the word you gave
to count your way across the depths of this arid world,
where you would yolk the waves and lay a bed of shining pearls.
I dream it every night:
the wringing of the pail, the motes of sand dislodged, the shucking, quick and bright:
the twinned and cast-off shells reveal a single heart of white.
And in an infinite backslide,
ancient boulders sink past the west,
like a sword at the bearer's fall.
I can’t claim that I knew you best,
but did you know me at all?
A woman is alive, a woman is alive.
You do not take her for a sign.
An anchor on a stone, alone, unfaceted and fine.
And never will I wed.
I'll hunt the pearl of death to the bottom of my life,
and ever hold my breath 'til I may be the diver's wife.
See how the infinite divides,
and the divers are not to blame
for the rift spanning distant shores.
You don’t know my name,
but I know yours.
(and I am his, if I am not deceived)
who takes one breath above for every hour below the sea
worth twice this woman's life, but would cost her less
than laying at low tide to see her true love phosphoresce.
tell me why is the pain of birth
lighter borne than the pain of death?
I ain’t saying that I loved you first,
but I loved you best.
each by the rules that bind us here:
the divers and the sailors and the women on the pier.
How do you choose your name? How do you choose your life?
How do you choose the time you must exhale and kick and rise?
like a boat tearing down the coast,
double hulls bearing double masts.
I don’t know if you loved me most,
but you loved me last.
to count your way across the depths of this arid world,
where you would yolk the waves and lay a bed of shining pearls.
the wringing of the pail, the motes of sand dislodged, the shucking, quick and bright:
the twinned and cast-off shells reveal a single heart of white.
ancient boulders sink past the west,
like a sword at the bearer's fall.
I can’t claim that I knew you best,
but did you know me at all?
You do not take her for a sign.
An anchor on a stone, alone, unfaceted and fine.
I'll hunt the pearl of death to the bottom of my life,
and ever hold my breath 'til I may be the diver's wife.
and the divers are not to blame
for the rift spanning distant shores.
You don’t know my name,
but I know yours.
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Title is Divers
This song is a masterful exploration of the tension between love, freedom, and self-transformation. At its heart, it’s about the narrator’s yearning for the diver and the qualities he embodies: depth, courage, and freedom. However, the tragedy lies in the narrator’s inability to truly understand the diver's nature or to overcome her own fears.
One of the most striking aspects of the song is the symbolism of the jewel and the Pearl of Death. These are not separate objects—they are one and the same. When the diver gives the narrator the jewel, he sees it as a symbol of beauty and the rewards of diving deeply into the unknown. For him, the depths are a place of wonder, and the jewel represents his faith in her potential to overcome her fears and join him there.
But for the narrator, the jewel becomes the Pearl of Death. She sees it through the lens of her fear, interpreting it as a symbol of danger, loss, and mortality. Instead of inspiring her to dive, it reinforces her hesitation. This duality highlights the fundamental divide between the diver and the narrator: where he sees beauty, she sees peril.
Her vow to "ever hold my breath 'til I may be the diver’s wife" reveals the irony of her position. She is willing to hold her breath in anticipation of the diver committing to her—staying on the surface with her—but she is not willing to hold her breath as the means of diving deeply herself. This reflects her passive yearning to vicariously assume the qualities she admires in him, rather than actively pursuing them on her own. It’s a longing not for the diver as he is, but for what he represents.
The diver’s love, on the other hand, is selfless and transformative. By giving her the jewel, he shows her what is possible in the depths and trusts her to find her own way there. He cannot tether himself to the surface for her, because his freedom and identity are bound to the act of diving. His love is not about possession or staying—it’s about empowerment and faith.
Ultimately, this is a story of unrequited love, but not in the traditional sense. The diver loves the narrator enough to offer her a glimpse of his world, but she cannot fully reciprocate because her love is rooted in her own insecurities and desires. Until she overcomes her fear and chooses to dive herself, the gap between them will remain unbridgeable.