To me, it seems to be about his marriage and fears arising from such. There are many references on the album to his wedding day and new wife.
The first verse seems very morbid, funereal, but I thinks it's a very tongue-in-cheek way of describing wedding day nerves. (Cave's got to be one of the most subtely humorous lyricists around).
The neighbours, bless them, had turned out to be all talk
I could see their frightened faces
peering at me through the gate
Maybe some invitees to his wedding, his neighbours in suburbia, still somewhat wary of this rockstar who now lives beside them?
I stopped at a church and jostled through the crowd
And love followed just behind me, panting at my feet
to me seems like the custom of a groom arriving in church, then waiting for the bride to follow.
The Good Day, Evil Day line might represent the contrast between his personal situation and the worldly situation (which he views as verging on apocalytpic, with everything starting to fall)
And it seemed to me that most destruction was being done
By those who could not choose between the two
seems like he's railing about inaction and apathy here
Amateurs, dilettantes, hacks, cowboys, clones
The streets groan with little Caesars, Napoleons and cunts
With their building blocks and their tiny plastic phones
Counting on their fingers, with crumbs down their fronts
...and those who concern themselves with making money whilst disregarding the reality of the world today
And I stood there invisible in the panicking crowds
You looked so beautiful in the rising heat
Now it seems to be further on in time and he's been separated from his wife, through death possibly, or divorce? and he looks at her from a distance.
People carry on regardless, listening to their hands
The people can't see what he sees, but does his wife? Perhaps he's the only one who can see the reality and this is about his fears that this would cause them to break up? Or his pessimism about the world would?
The four lines at the end are tough to figure out, especially the father line. I'm guessing he's saying that no matter how far he's come he's still looking for something, and that we'll probably all be looking for that intangible 'something' even into death.
Anyway, apologies for my crummy interpretation, but I do love the song.
To me, it seems to be about his marriage and fears arising from such. There are many references on the album to his wedding day and new wife.
The first verse seems very morbid, funereal, but I thinks it's a very tongue-in-cheek way of describing wedding day nerves. (Cave's got to be one of the most subtely humorous lyricists around).
The neighbours, bless them, had turned out to be all talk I could see their frightened faces peering at me through the gate
Maybe some invitees to his wedding, his neighbours in suburbia, still somewhat wary of this rockstar who now lives beside them?
I stopped at a church and jostled through the crowd And love followed just behind me, panting at my feet
to me seems like the custom of a groom arriving in church, then waiting for the bride to follow.
The Good Day, Evil Day line might represent the contrast between his personal situation and the worldly situation (which he views as verging on apocalytpic, with everything starting to fall)
And it seemed to me that most destruction was being done By those who could not choose between the two
seems like he's railing about inaction and apathy here
Amateurs, dilettantes, hacks, cowboys, clones The streets groan with little Caesars, Napoleons and cunts With their building blocks and their tiny plastic phones Counting on their fingers, with crumbs down their fronts
...and those who concern themselves with making money whilst disregarding the reality of the world today
And I stood there invisible in the panicking crowds You looked so beautiful in the rising heat
Now it seems to be further on in time and he's been separated from his wife, through death possibly, or divorce? and he looks at her from a distance.
People carry on regardless, listening to their hands
The people can't see what he sees, but does his wife? Perhaps he's the only one who can see the reality and this is about his fears that this would cause them to break up? Or his pessimism about the world would?
The four lines at the end are tough to figure out, especially the father line. I'm guessing he's saying that no matter how far he's come he's still looking for something, and that we'll probably all be looking for that intangible 'something' even into death.
Anyway, apologies for my crummy interpretation, but I do love the song.