I see this as a song that follows the life of a young woman who has never conformed to social norms...People are always asking if she's on the right track because she's "breaking the signs that the sign makers made." She seeks beauty to help her cope with the idea that society views her as an outcast, with her paint brushes and her use of the English language (she stole the king's English, meaning she has a vast vocabulary) But even with all of what she gives back to society, she is still seen as a sort of failure, so she is lead to keeping everyone away with her caustic words;"she could fight back the voices" with her "collection of sticks." However, she is angry with herself for keeping everyone so far away with the words that she "pounds," until one person made all the difference. She began seeing the beautiful things in life again, even though this "road to enchantment" wasn't hers to take (this line is key, because it isn't saying that her life be wonderful, it is meerly saying that this road to enchantment that other find by the people that follow the signs...I take it to believe that she will have a better one, but this is up for interpretation) After this this woman who saved her essentially saves her from distancing herself from everythingbecause she was so unhappy- the poisoness apple that she wasn't meant to survive would have been the path she was following to suicide. However, she began to see the beauty and she ages well....just like the woman who saved her (who followed the same path "Looking back, seeing far, landing right where we are.")
I see this as a song that follows the life of a young woman who has never conformed to social norms...People are always asking if she's on the right track because she's "breaking the signs that the sign makers made." She seeks beauty to help her cope with the idea that society views her as an outcast, with her paint brushes and her use of the English language (she stole the king's English, meaning she has a vast vocabulary) But even with all of what she gives back to society, she is still seen as a sort of failure, so she is lead to keeping everyone away with her caustic words;"she could fight back the voices" with her "collection of sticks." However, she is angry with herself for keeping everyone so far away with the words that she "pounds," until one person made all the difference. She began seeing the beautiful things in life again, even though this "road to enchantment" wasn't hers to take (this line is key, because it isn't saying that her life be wonderful, it is meerly saying that this road to enchantment that other find by the people that follow the signs...I take it to believe that she will have a better one, but this is up for interpretation) After this this woman who saved her essentially saves her from distancing herself from everythingbecause she was so unhappy- the poisoness apple that she wasn't meant to survive would have been the path she was following to suicide. However, she began to see the beauty and she ages well....just like the woman who saved her (who followed the same path "Looking back, seeing far, landing right where we are.")