The Difference in the Shades Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Lunetia 

Cover art for The Difference in the Shades lyrics by Bright Eyes

About the TV analogy. I think he means that their relationship or lives are f***ed up, distorted, irreversibly changed, perhaps due to the lover's sickness. His image of the two dancing is merely a memory, since he speaks in present tense throughout the song.