Just want to see

(golf clap...)Nice hypothesis ZellaL! Your narrative is logical and well supported. But it is also a bit oversimplified and literal. What I mean is this: if my analysis doesn't explain why the song makes my eyes get wet, or why I have to listen to it at least 4 times in a row, then it's not good enough...I haven't really grasped the song's meaning at all.

When we interpret poetry and fiction (or really good lyrics!) "figuring it out" is more than creating logical hypotheses and missing facts to fill in the narrative gaps. You do yourself a disservice by treating the song as a puzzle or game of '20 questions.'

You also must figure out what's ambiguous in the poem, and what's irrefutable? Where is the tension? What does she (narrator) reveal in her word choice, imagery, repeated words/phrases, ideas, mood, pace, etc.

For example:

Question 1 What is the problem/crisis she's having? It's obviously death, because JD just died, right? A: WRONG! This song is not about death; it is about SEEING ourselves and others clearly--in life and in their deaths.

After JD died, she noticed how her perception of him didn't alter with his dying. This got her thinking about how others might see her, and wondering how it may change after her death (or because of her death).

She wishes, perhaps, she could peek into the future and see what the value of her life was (to her friends, family, colleagues, children) so maybe then she could stop fearing the unknown. And stop being tempted to kill herself when her feelings of self-doubt is too heavy to bear.

Question 2 Q:What is the narrator's mood? weary? passionate? joyful? desperate? A: it changes with each stanza, and adds a new mood in the last stanza: Mood 1/ Mood 2/ Mood 1/Mood 2/ Mood 1/ Mood 3. Mood 1 is weary and worried, but also reflective and inquisitive. Mood 2 is cheerful and comforting, (to distract herself and Tommy from their grief by remembering how kind JD was). Mood 3 is the big surprise. Death is no tragedy if others have SEEN you in a positive light--if you have helped others and improved humanity in some small way. Loneliness and isolation are the more soul-threatening problems (e.g., if you've lost your family, friends, community and have no relationships left.)

Question 3: Mood in Stanza 6 Q: What is implied (in last stanza) when "memories...die" and dreams replace them? A: She is sad and melancholy, of course, but she has this moment of clarity in which she sees how our lives mean very little. In our brief time on earth we should focus on the people we love: loving, caring for, challenging, and helping each other. We can't fight what time and grief do to us (we are too tired to fight this sadness, Tommy, so let's rest) and minds (memories are lost). Even young people lose or alter memories without being aware of it.