Oh... I once thought it was about people being sent off to the army...
"Ladies, breathe deep against your whalebones
For your children come home made of stone"
Aside from the interesting fun fact that she uses whalebones in "Colleen" as well... I think this could be about how they come back made of stone as in... their hearts hardened by what they experienced, and how that must be hard for the mothers.
"And all the baby boys we've born
With eyes averted from the storm
Sent off to die in perfect form
We know now what we have known"
Could be something like... the baby boys that they raised so safely, trying to shield them from the tough world outside, are now sent off to fight in the war and possibly die (in perfect form, because they would have to be fit).
By the way, this should also be "we know not now what we have known", but I'm not sure what she means. I have some thoughts, but I don't wanna speak them because I'm too unsure.
"And when they come back broke and burned
Those who return have no return"
I always heard "those who return have not returned", to be honest, and thought that was meant to say how they had changed, so they're different people now and have thus in a way not returned.
If it is "Those who return have no return", that could mean something like how they can't erase their experiences to go back to the person they were before.
It feels to me like there might be some images of the war itself in the rest of the song, but I'm not too good at figuring out imagery like that :( and I dunno what the malachite would be, either.
Oh... I once thought it was about people being sent off to the army...
"Ladies, breathe deep against your whalebones For your children come home made of stone"
Aside from the interesting fun fact that she uses whalebones in "Colleen" as well... I think this could be about how they come back made of stone as in... their hearts hardened by what they experienced, and how that must be hard for the mothers.
"And all the baby boys we've born With eyes averted from the storm Sent off to die in perfect form We know now what we have known"
Could be something like... the baby boys that they raised so safely, trying to shield them from the tough world outside, are now sent off to fight in the war and possibly die (in perfect form, because they would have to be fit). By the way, this should also be "we know not now what we have known", but I'm not sure what she means. I have some thoughts, but I don't wanna speak them because I'm too unsure.
"And when they come back broke and burned Those who return have no return"
I always heard "those who return have not returned", to be honest, and thought that was meant to say how they had changed, so they're different people now and have thus in a way not returned. If it is "Those who return have no return", that could mean something like how they can't erase their experiences to go back to the person they were before.
It feels to me like there might be some images of the war itself in the rest of the song, but I'm not too good at figuring out imagery like that :( and I dunno what the malachite would be, either.