Starlings Lyrics

Lyric discussion by niteflite01 

Cover art for Starlings lyrics by Elbow

One of the best tracks from "A Seldom Seen Kid", this song deals with unrequited love and how it makes one feel - from "stubborn, selfish and too old" to the magnificently written :

The violence explode inside me when I meet your eyes Then I'm spinning and I'm diving Like a cloud of starlings

He sees this girl as the perfect woman, and only has eyes for her, even though throughout the song he tries his very, very best to hide and deflect his feelings :

"You are the only thing in any room you're ever in"

Such a beautifully simple yet powerful line.

The girl clearly isn't interested in him though, not in any way, so the "love" is completely and utterly unrequited. Even though he's completely true to her, and even though he feels he needs her so much :

"But find a man that's truer than, Find a man that needs you more than, I"

A superb Elbow track.

I am that man. The love of my life is a woman 20 years younger than me, and this song is the closest to perfection in capturing how it feels. The sudden and inspiring crescendos, exactly how I feel when she walks into the room. The mundane lyrics at the opening which reflect the generational difference - my world is so serious and news-driven, hers anything but. The Wisdom I offer.... and that she knows better than to accept.

This is my love for her. Absolute, unconditional. Not unrequited because she knows, and because she loves me too, just not quite...