I dont think she is necessarily the "other woman", and waiting for him to leave anyone for her. In factm one of the most important point is that sailors tend to never settle down with one woman, and she KNEW this. Basically he was making her empty promises. She won't let herself believe him, cuz its simply "too good to be true" and she was trying to protect herself from being hurt. Obviously she was correct in doing so, because she does say that it ultimately saved her in the end. However, I think you're meant to assume she DID believe him, and thats why it hurts. She feels that he was bound to hurt her, and wise her up to these harsh realities. The card reference is saying she is taking a gamble on the love a sailor, but she's basically "going all in" as they say and spending her best...setting herself up for heartache and dissapointment. A paramour is actually ANY type of ellicit lover, not nesessarily of a married person. Something "going by the boards" is a reference to jetsam, which is something lost at sea.I liken it to when you're with a guy that you know you should be wary of, but you eventually let yourself become vulnerable and trust him, and then of course you get hurt. You knew better, but you took that gamble. The song is much easier to understand if you replace every "by the boards" with "lost".
I dont think she is necessarily the "other woman", and waiting for him to leave anyone for her. In factm one of the most important point is that sailors tend to never settle down with one woman, and she KNEW this. Basically he was making her empty promises. She won't let herself believe him, cuz its simply "too good to be true" and she was trying to protect herself from being hurt. Obviously she was correct in doing so, because she does say that it ultimately saved her in the end. However, I think you're meant to assume she DID believe him, and thats why it hurts. She feels that he was bound to hurt her, and wise her up to these harsh realities. The card reference is saying she is taking a gamble on the love a sailor, but she's basically "going all in" as they say and spending her best...setting herself up for heartache and dissapointment. A paramour is actually ANY type of ellicit lover, not nesessarily of a married person. Something "going by the boards" is a reference to jetsam, which is something lost at sea.I liken it to when you're with a guy that you know you should be wary of, but you eventually let yourself become vulnerable and trust him, and then of course you get hurt. You knew better, but you took that gamble. The song is much easier to understand if you replace every "by the boards" with "lost".
@Violetthoughts Great interpretation. I totally agree.
@Violetthoughts Great interpretation. I totally agree.