There's a man and a woman, very much in love. One day, though, the girl is killed (quite possibly in a car wreck). Obviously, the guy is crushed and shocked at the death of the person he loved. However, he winds up finding some degree of solace when he realizes that they'll "meet at the end of the tour"--in other words, when he dies, they'll see each other again.
To go into more detail about their relationship, the "girl with a crown and a scepter" is the narrator's girlfriend/love interest--the person who dies. He describes himself as being "bent metal", while she's "a flaming wreck". She's the one who was killed; he was just crushed by it. At "the end of the tour", though, they'll see each other, and they're "never gonna tour again"--they'll never have to be apart anymore.
A few other thoughts. It's possible the girl lingered for a while after whatever killed her, which is why she says that she's "THINKING of going home"--she was in serious condition, and they didn't know if she'd make it. I'm not sure of that, though.
I've also always interpreted the part where he talks about how they "kissed at the overpass" to be about a literal kiss, not a head-on collision as many have suggested.
In short, though...
"The tour" = life.
"The end of the tour" = death.
"Home" = the afterlife.
"A girl with a crown and a scepter" = the girl who dies.
"A knock on the door" = the narrator discovering that the girl is dead. Maybe the police or someone came to his house to inform him that his girlfriend had been killed. It could also be a metaphor for him realizing that she's not coming back.
"The vehicle" = again, probably life, or MAYBE a literal vehicle.
"The people" = the girl.
"[Opening] the door and [expelling] all the people" = the death of the girl, assuming that "the vehicle" is a metaphor for life.
It's a deep, beautiful, amazing song. Definitely my favorite song of all time.
It's about a couple torn apart by death.
There's a man and a woman, very much in love. One day, though, the girl is killed (quite possibly in a car wreck). Obviously, the guy is crushed and shocked at the death of the person he loved. However, he winds up finding some degree of solace when he realizes that they'll "meet at the end of the tour"--in other words, when he dies, they'll see each other again.
To go into more detail about their relationship, the "girl with a crown and a scepter" is the narrator's girlfriend/love interest--the person who dies. He describes himself as being "bent metal", while she's "a flaming wreck". She's the one who was killed; he was just crushed by it. At "the end of the tour", though, they'll see each other, and they're "never gonna tour again"--they'll never have to be apart anymore.
A few other thoughts. It's possible the girl lingered for a while after whatever killed her, which is why she says that she's "THINKING of going home"--she was in serious condition, and they didn't know if she'd make it. I'm not sure of that, though.
I've also always interpreted the part where he talks about how they "kissed at the overpass" to be about a literal kiss, not a head-on collision as many have suggested.
In short, though...
"The tour" = life. "The end of the tour" = death. "Home" = the afterlife. "A girl with a crown and a scepter" = the girl who dies. "A knock on the door" = the narrator discovering that the girl is dead. Maybe the police or someone came to his house to inform him that his girlfriend had been killed. It could also be a metaphor for him realizing that she's not coming back. "The vehicle" = again, probably life, or MAYBE a literal vehicle. "The people" = the girl. "[Opening] the door and [expelling] all the people" = the death of the girl, assuming that "the vehicle" is a metaphor for life.
It's a deep, beautiful, amazing song. Definitely my favorite song of all time.