A superlative song dealing with awakening sexuality and the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood.
A child uses game-playing to work through the fears of becoming adult… But the adjustment is never easy… and inevitably, the hounds of love come baying… This awakening sexuality harks back to her childhood fears…
The narrator wants to preserve her childlike innocence AND to overcome her fears...
‘Take my shoes off and throw them in the lake’ suggests a compromise between shedding and retaining innocence.
‘On the water’ is about preserving innocence (Jesus) AND overcoming fears (through faith, Peter overcame his fears and walked on water).
She is scared (sometimes terrified) of the transition… but she recognizes her fears as childish… The fox allowed her to take him in her hands because he sensed they were both terrified… But the fox had a very real reason for running scared (of the hounds)… She thus feels ashamed of being so afraid of what are only natural needs and desires.
The song also recognises the same fears and anxieties in her (adolescent) partner… He is also hounded by the hounds of love… He must also shed his innocence, have the faith to overcome his fears, and abandon himself to adulthood (‘take your shoes off…)…
A superlative song dealing with awakening sexuality and the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood.
A child uses game-playing to work through the fears of becoming adult… But the adjustment is never easy… and inevitably, the hounds of love come baying… This awakening sexuality harks back to her childhood fears…
The narrator wants to preserve her childlike innocence AND to overcome her fears... ‘Take my shoes off and throw them in the lake’ suggests a compromise between shedding and retaining innocence. ‘On the water’ is about preserving innocence (Jesus) AND overcoming fears (through faith, Peter overcame his fears and walked on water).
She is scared (sometimes terrified) of the transition… but she recognizes her fears as childish… The fox allowed her to take him in her hands because he sensed they were both terrified… But the fox had a very real reason for running scared (of the hounds)… She thus feels ashamed of being so afraid of what are only natural needs and desires.
The song also recognises the same fears and anxieties in her (adolescent) partner… He is also hounded by the hounds of love… He must also shed his innocence, have the faith to overcome his fears, and abandon himself to adulthood (‘take your shoes off…)…
Theresa, you just described ME. Wow!
Theresa, you just described ME. Wow!