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Ring on the sill Lyrics
She placed her ring on the sill,
dishes piled high
She's on the front porch step
and the air smells like snow
She's thinking of the siege to come
and how she'll miss those weekends
in the park with the sun on her face
and her book by her side and that
lingering taste that he left on her tongue
He lifts his glass from the table
It leaves a ring where it stood
He sees the light from the window
caress her like he knows he should
He's remembering the first time he kissed her
and how he'd wake
and immediately he'd miss her,
like a spell, with each breath,
he'd taste her breath like a haunting,
irritating as hell
Do you remember when you'd pray
to never see the day
when someone would make you feel this way
'Cause you knew
they would cut right through you
and once inside, you were afraid they'd find
nothing to hold on to
He puts her ring on her finger,
she brushes back his hair
He takes a sip from his glass,
she inhales the cold fall air
And they're thinking of the long road ahead
and the strength that they will need
just to reach the end
And there in the silence they search for
the balance between this fear that they feel
and a love that has graced their lives
dishes piled high
She's on the front porch step
and the air smells like snow
She's thinking of the siege to come
and how she'll miss those weekends
in the park with the sun on her face
and her book by her side and that
lingering taste that he left on her tongue
It leaves a ring where it stood
He sees the light from the window
caress her like he knows he should
He's remembering the first time he kissed her
and how he'd wake
and immediately he'd miss her,
like a spell, with each breath,
he'd taste her breath like a haunting,
irritating as hell
to never see the day
when someone would make you feel this way
'Cause you knew
they would cut right through you
and once inside, you were afraid they'd find
nothing to hold on to
she brushes back his hair
He takes a sip from his glass,
she inhales the cold fall air
And they're thinking of the long road ahead
and the strength that they will need
just to reach the end
And there in the silence they search for
the balance between this fear that they feel
and a love that has graced their lives
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
It seems to me like they’ve had a bad fight. So bad they’ve retreated to separate parts of the house, shes taken off her ring, and he’s having a drink. They’re separately thinking about how good it was in the beginning, how easy it was. He recognizes he should be comforting her, making an overture, but isn’t.
The interlude then is about arguments in a relationship, how they cut so deep, bc you know each other so well, and can, in the heat of argument, resort to the deepest cuts that hurt like no one else can hurt you. And also the fear that there’s some truth in their deepest cuts, maybe they see that you aren’t fully the person you want to be and that you want them to see you as being, and that makes you feel incredibly vulnerable and fearful of losing them.
But they do end up comforting each other and reconnecting! It’s tentative, bc they know how perilous it is, but it’s real, bc the love they have is real and they both want to heal. They want to rebuild, but are each realistic about how long and arduous a road that will be. For now, sitting in silence, fearful but hopeful.
[Edit: Edited for clarity]
Ummmmmm I've been married 5 times legally. The ring on my finger meant something 4 of those times..............
Older couple reflecting on the fears and uncertainties they had when they started their relationship. The coming winter in the song a metaphor for old age and now that the relationship is strong and endured the fears and uncertainties of aging.
I'm thinking of the long siege to come
and I'm thinking of the long road ahead
and the strength we'll need just to reach the end
Looking for the balance between this fear that I feel
And a love that has graced my life
I never thought I'd feel this way. It cuts right through me.
I don't know there's anything left of me to hold on to.
To me it's about the honeymoon being over, and the work that comes to stay with someone who may be flawed, recognizing my own flaws as well. It's the day to day, the dishes stacked high, the love has waned the ring is on the sill. It's not bad, it's not good, it's just waiting to get what needs to be done done and waiting to die.