i disagree with you, because sometimes artists may want to address something "real" that has happened to them (or others) in life, even if disguising it through symbolic language.
i disagree with you, because sometimes artists may want to address something "real" that has happened to them (or others) in life, even if disguising it through symbolic language.
i doubt whether somebody that howie knew actually drowned him-/herself (which would be the obvious interpretation), but the song is quite clearly about suicide. it even addresses the fact that a suicide might often come unexpected to others ("through all those days no one ought to think that you were barely holding on") and damage the ones left behind ("you couldn't see the anger that would come from this")....
i doubt whether somebody that howie knew actually drowned him-/herself (which would be the obvious interpretation), but the song is quite clearly about suicide. it even addresses the fact that a suicide might often come unexpected to others ("through all those days no one ought to think that you were barely holding on") and damage the ones left behind ("you couldn't see the anger that would come from this").
personally i think, howie wrote a tune about suicide, but uses the drowning as a metaphor. the line "you couldn't see the land so you gave in" just refer to somebody giving up in life, not being able to solve his problems.
i don't think there's ever a case of a literal meaning in songs. like poems, songs are written symbolically. that's why songs are beautiful :)
i disagree with you, because sometimes artists may want to address something "real" that has happened to them (or others) in life, even if disguising it through symbolic language.
i disagree with you, because sometimes artists may want to address something "real" that has happened to them (or others) in life, even if disguising it through symbolic language.
i doubt whether somebody that howie knew actually drowned him-/herself (which would be the obvious interpretation), but the song is quite clearly about suicide. it even addresses the fact that a suicide might often come unexpected to others ("through all those days no one ought to think that you were barely holding on") and damage the ones left behind ("you couldn't see the anger that would come from this")....
i doubt whether somebody that howie knew actually drowned him-/herself (which would be the obvious interpretation), but the song is quite clearly about suicide. it even addresses the fact that a suicide might often come unexpected to others ("through all those days no one ought to think that you were barely holding on") and damage the ones left behind ("you couldn't see the anger that would come from this").
personally i think, howie wrote a tune about suicide, but uses the drowning as a metaphor. the line "you couldn't see the land so you gave in" just refer to somebody giving up in life, not being able to solve his problems.