Parallel Lines

I noticed today this whole entire album tells a story beginning at the end of a relationship. One day I may go through and give my input for every song but not today.

People after they're through with each other operate just like parallel lines. They'll never see each other (cross) and therefore their lives will continue in the opposite but at the same time same direction, until death. The way I relate it is that one person has moved on but always has the other hovering around them somewhere deep in their mind.

I know this song so well...

It's about a couple that could never come together for the other person wouldn't let it happen: "That one percieves as hunger And the other as food " "Innocent imitation of how it would be If one the music entered, you did not retreat"

And all he has left is an imagined existence with this person hence the "cartoon garden" he could never know and his fantasy of the person 'cast in gold', this is how he wished this person to be instead of what they were.

parallel line is a metaphor of how these two peoples lives will never be one... and will never come together... ever.

great song that the girl on the cover dreamt up actually whilst picking flowers in Norway, and that's why i love kings of convenience- theyre hippies of the highest quality jus like me!

i thought it was "...WE did not retreat"

this song is so touching ...it made me cry...i love k.o.c

In the early years of the study of architecture, we learn a lot about shapes and stuff. Every time I hear that song, I remember of that and try to connect with some of those ideas.

'Parallel lines' by itself is an intriguing metaphor when we talk about relationships. If you think about them, they are closely related with the ideas of 'convergent lines' and 'perspective'. When we look to parallel lines from a distance, they seem to achieve the same point, but they don't. "Infinity is as near as it's far" may mean that. No matter how you see that you are going to be with this person someday, you will never reach it. It's just an optical illusion.

Another conclusion I get from this is that parallel lines may not ever intersect at just one point. They might be in the same plane, but nor they will ever be touched by each other, nor they will ever be together, as congruent lines.

It's a sad view from the an person who's into an one-sided love and have to deal with the idea they'll never be together, even though his brain say the opposite.

Two people separated. But one sees them as always connected, as if their lives will come back together. But they never do, because parallel lines never intersect.

Very sad.

Do you feel down as well at the sight of a 14 year old comment?

I would just like to emphasize the best line in this song-you know, draw your attention to it. (Especially since it's not actually included up there-BlackEyedAngels skipped a line or two) "Innocent imitation of how it could be if when the music ended it did not retreat. In my imagination you are cast in gold, your image a compensation for me to hold." Lovely...it's really a beautiful song.

I don’t think it’s comforting at all. I think it’s a classic description of a superficial relationship, where the couple is never on the same page, only one of the two actually realize it, and the one that does realize fails to turn a very meaningful reflection into action.

But the action very well could be writing the song…

I agree somewhat with imozarti, except that instead of this being present tense, I think that the realization happened after the relationship has ended.

When someone exits your life, their lack of action and words after that point force you to make up your own reasoning and justification as to their incentives and motivation. Sometimes you can dwell on someone's absence for so long that they become a metaphor, almost nonexistant... therefore he has only her image as compensation.