In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
With a glass inlaid with gemstones
On a pool around the evening
Among the perfumed roses
Wait for her
With the patience of a packhorse
Loaded for the mountains
Like a stoic, noble prince
Wait for her
With seven pillows laid out on the stair
The scent of womens' incense fills the air
Be calm, and wait for her
And do not flush the sparrows
That are nesting in her braids
All along the barricades
Wait for her
And if she comes soon
Wait for her
And if she comes late
Wait
Let her be still as a summer afternoon
A garden in full bloom
Let her breathe in the air
That is foreign to her heart
Let her lips part
Wait for her
Take her to the balcony, see the moon soaked in milk
Hear the rustle of her silk
Wait for her
Don't let your eyes alight upon the twin doves of her breast
Lest they take flight
Wait for her
And if she comes soon
Wait for her
And if she comes late
Wait
Serve her water before wine
Do not touch her hand
Let your fingertips rest as her command
Speak softly as a flute would to a fearful violin
Breathe out, breathe in
And as the echo fades from that final fusillade
Remember the promises you made
On a pool around the evening
Among the perfumed roses
Wait for her
With the patience of a packhorse
Loaded for the mountains
Like a stoic, noble prince
Wait for her
With seven pillows laid out on the stair
The scent of womens' incense fills the air
Be calm, and wait for her
And do not flush the sparrows
That are nesting in her braids
All along the barricades
Wait for her
And if she comes soon
Wait for her
And if she comes late
Wait
Let her be still as a summer afternoon
A garden in full bloom
Let her breathe in the air
That is foreign to her heart
Let her lips part
Wait for her
Take her to the balcony, see the moon soaked in milk
Hear the rustle of her silk
Wait for her
Don't let your eyes alight upon the twin doves of her breast
Lest they take flight
Wait for her
And if she comes soon
Wait for her
And if she comes late
Wait
Serve her water before wine
Do not touch her hand
Let your fingertips rest as her command
Speak softly as a flute would to a fearful violin
Breathe out, breathe in
And as the echo fades from that final fusillade
Remember the promises you made
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"With seven pillows laid out on the stair The scent of womens' incense fills the air Be calm, and wait for her"
and
"Serve her water before wine Do not touch her hand Let your fingertips rest at her command"
And while it gives the song a sense of hope, the almost tragic-sounding backdrop serves as what brains love to do in these scenarios: think of the worst. The drop from G to E minor by the electric guitar throughout the song suggest the mood swings from hopeful to hopeless. Love is a crazy emotion, and things can go from good to bad (and vice versa) quickly.
The last stance is one of my favorites. It reminds the listener that waiting to love someone may be difficult, but there is a promise the listener made with themselves: to never lose hope.
"And as the echo fades from that final fusillade Remember the promises you made"
The promise is obvious; the promise of the listener to continue loving the girl. It doesn't leave. And the final fusillade is all but simply another change in emotions. They can be good or bad, but anyone (such as myself) who has experienced a bombardment of emotions knows how to connect to this final line.