I don't do this lyric justice, but I think I've copied it down mostly accurately.
The song conjures up a dreamlike and slightly claustrophobic world of oppositions and opposites, intended bad and unintended good consequence.
The main character walks through this world with great awareness, she reads the signs, yet she knows her stance is going to bring her into conflict: she still walks into the traps.
There's a slight atmosphere of whispering paranoia, the spies on the sidelines making deals (conspiracies), the reference to laughter in the sound of the debris coming down (malice), the secrets, the main character's agitation.
My favourite part is the central image of the semaphore: the main character tries to cover her head to protect it from the falling debris, but the gesture has the opposite effect and actually draws the fire. Perhaps her stance isn't quite as defiant as it seems?
It's probably a stretch, but there seems to be a slightly upbeat ending, the spies want to bring her to their way of thinking (world view, self-image), but they retreat, she still appears unbeaten and unbroken.
A very fine lyric!
I don't do this lyric justice, but I think I've copied it down mostly accurately. The song conjures up a dreamlike and slightly claustrophobic world of oppositions and opposites, intended bad and unintended good consequence. The main character walks through this world with great awareness, she reads the signs, yet she knows her stance is going to bring her into conflict: she still walks into the traps. There's a slight atmosphere of whispering paranoia, the spies on the sidelines making deals (conspiracies), the reference to laughter in the sound of the debris coming down (malice), the secrets, the main character's agitation. My favourite part is the central image of the semaphore: the main character tries to cover her head to protect it from the falling debris, but the gesture has the opposite effect and actually draws the fire. Perhaps her stance isn't quite as defiant as it seems? It's probably a stretch, but there seems to be a slightly upbeat ending, the spies want to bring her to their way of thinking (world view, self-image), but they retreat, she still appears unbeaten and unbroken. A very fine lyric!