Darkening Of The Light

While I can see how you could work in the loss of a friend/lover interpretation, I think it's more of a metaphorical loss than one of death. It seems as though she is lamenting the loss of a great friend, a particular person, someone who has been to her a great "light" and now, for whatever reasons, has "gone to the dark side," so to speak.

It's as if the person had their optimism or zest for life taken away, and it leaves Johnette dumbfounded. The "clouds at my feet whisper sounds so familiar" line could be symbolic of a sense of familiarity with that friend, old conversations, their laugh, the sight of their face, but then she is reminded of this sudden change somehow and tries to find a remnant of the old person in the new that stands before her, a shell of the person's former self.

I don't think it's something that's so bleak or hopeless, though. "Shine on, friend" and the overall mood of the music makes me think it is only a temporary departure from the old self.

Really, it's a melancholy piece, but poignant and beautiful, and to me, full of hope for the future. :-)

I think this song is about a friend or lover who died. The person speaking in the song hopes they are still around in some way, possibly as a spirit?

to me i've always thought of this song as someone who loses faith in man, god, and betrayed by someone they thought would never betray them. they've lost all sense of hope and only dance insane

This really makes me think of my bestfriend, who was hurt one too many times... and now, whenever someone says I love you, she flips out. "How can you lie like that?"

The mandolin player on this song is Pete Buck of R.E.M. fame. Johnette said she always wanted to do a song with him in it, and Pete agreed to it. IIRC he said he liked working with her.