Perhaps it’s a matter of perspective, but naturally I've taken a completely different take on the songs meaning. Firstly, it’s nearly impossible to give an interpretation of a song's true meaning, without being the writer. So, all interpretations are subjective. Particularly that of "individual delusion" who the song seems to have stricken a personal chord with.
1st stanza: In the 1st stanza, an image of bliss is painted between the two characters in the song. Love, happiness, and fulfillment are projected. Hence, the bluebird reference, who symbolizes all of these things in both literature and common mythology (old wives tales, the bluebird is an omen). From here we hear the chorus, a chorus of longing for something once familiar, but now lost. In the interpretation above, he suggests that this loss of Saturday night represents his loss of freedom to marriage. This does work, and fits quite nicely. As well, it could also represent a loss of innocence. Life has become fast pace and more stagnate, an environment difficult for love to flourish. Perhaps the writer is expressing distaste for industrialization, suggesting that it makes life cold, and loveless. A common thread among many people who oppose such a revolution. As well, its represents the changing times, with industrialization and the change in lifestyle. This would work well with the next stanza, which portrays a common image of this, the building of the railroad.
2nd stanza: We see the image of a railroad being built. The railroad brings death to the simple country life once enjoyed, changing small towns into busy, industrial, monopolies. Thus, the railroad destroys the simplicity & innocence of life, and the home in which they shared is boarded up. Now, as the small town life dies, so does their relationship. His woman is now with another man, and he spends the time with his pride. Pride shouldn't be regarded as a positive here. The singer has too much pride to take his woman back, suggesting the means of their break-up was petty.
3rd stanza: The singer portrays the situation has gotten out of control. The times when something is over, and you look back and wonder how it got so bad. The line "someone show me how to tell the dancer from the dance" is one of my favourites of the song. Essentially its means, what is the dancer without the dance? Nothing, just another member of the audience. The dance can represent many things, as it commonly does in music. It can represent their relationship (how can you separate the lover from the love), it can represent living (can you separate humans from their life). Thus, in my opinion, the dancer is the dance. We are our actions. At the end of the day, we are not judged on what we could have done, but what we did. We are judged on the life we lived, not the one we could have lived. The dance we danced. It’s a dilemma, how do you see past what someone does in their lives, to know the true person inside. Or do you judge them based on how they act, no matter what psychologically aspects are involved.
4th stanza: From here, the chorus appears once again. Unfortunately, I do not know what significance the line "choosin a friend and losing a fight” holds. However, it perpetuates this idea of the conflict between two people who share closeness.
Overall my interpretation is that the love that has died, representing the greater theme of the death to passion, life, and the vitality that people once had to the change of lifestyle. This change of circumstance, representing the greater change of life that occurred when the simplicity of life was interrupted by the need for wealth. And when business and work took seniority over happiness and people. The death of the love is just a parallel to the deeper loss of innocence that occurred when the world changed. Thus, the laid back Saturday night is now gone. Saturday has become a time to unwind from the work in solidarity. That's just what I took from it, and I'm sure some will think I'm entirely off. However, once again, interpretation is subjective, and should always remain that way.
Besides analyzing and entirely killing the effect of the song, I absolutely love this song! Its one of those songs that when you’re driving in the car, and even if people are around, you just can't help to sing along! Hope this interpretation helps, even though I should have put more thought into it. If there are any visible holes, comment and fix them.
Perhaps it’s a matter of perspective, but naturally I've taken a completely different take on the songs meaning. Firstly, it’s nearly impossible to give an interpretation of a song's true meaning, without being the writer. So, all interpretations are subjective. Particularly that of "individual delusion" who the song seems to have stricken a personal chord with.
1st stanza: In the 1st stanza, an image of bliss is painted between the two characters in the song. Love, happiness, and fulfillment are projected. Hence, the bluebird reference, who symbolizes all of these things in both literature and common mythology (old wives tales, the bluebird is an omen). From here we hear the chorus, a chorus of longing for something once familiar, but now lost. In the interpretation above, he suggests that this loss of Saturday night represents his loss of freedom to marriage. This does work, and fits quite nicely. As well, it could also represent a loss of innocence. Life has become fast pace and more stagnate, an environment difficult for love to flourish. Perhaps the writer is expressing distaste for industrialization, suggesting that it makes life cold, and loveless. A common thread among many people who oppose such a revolution. As well, its represents the changing times, with industrialization and the change in lifestyle. This would work well with the next stanza, which portrays a common image of this, the building of the railroad.
2nd stanza: We see the image of a railroad being built. The railroad brings death to the simple country life once enjoyed, changing small towns into busy, industrial, monopolies. Thus, the railroad destroys the simplicity & innocence of life, and the home in which they shared is boarded up. Now, as the small town life dies, so does their relationship. His woman is now with another man, and he spends the time with his pride. Pride shouldn't be regarded as a positive here. The singer has too much pride to take his woman back, suggesting the means of their break-up was petty.
3rd stanza: The singer portrays the situation has gotten out of control. The times when something is over, and you look back and wonder how it got so bad. The line "someone show me how to tell the dancer from the dance" is one of my favourites of the song. Essentially its means, what is the dancer without the dance? Nothing, just another member of the audience. The dance can represent many things, as it commonly does in music. It can represent their relationship (how can you separate the lover from the love), it can represent living (can you separate humans from their life). Thus, in my opinion, the dancer is the dance. We are our actions. At the end of the day, we are not judged on what we could have done, but what we did. We are judged on the life we lived, not the one we could have lived. The dance we danced. It’s a dilemma, how do you see past what someone does in their lives, to know the true person inside. Or do you judge them based on how they act, no matter what psychologically aspects are involved.
4th stanza: From here, the chorus appears once again. Unfortunately, I do not know what significance the line "choosin a friend and losing a fight” holds. However, it perpetuates this idea of the conflict between two people who share closeness.
Overall my interpretation is that the love that has died, representing the greater theme of the death to passion, life, and the vitality that people once had to the change of lifestyle. This change of circumstance, representing the greater change of life that occurred when the simplicity of life was interrupted by the need for wealth. And when business and work took seniority over happiness and people. The death of the love is just a parallel to the deeper loss of innocence that occurred when the world changed. Thus, the laid back Saturday night is now gone. Saturday has become a time to unwind from the work in solidarity. That's just what I took from it, and I'm sure some will think I'm entirely off. However, once again, interpretation is subjective, and should always remain that way.
Besides analyzing and entirely killing the effect of the song, I absolutely love this song! Its one of those songs that when you’re driving in the car, and even if people are around, you just can't help to sing along! Hope this interpretation helps, even though I should have put more thought into it. If there are any visible holes, comment and fix them.