Darling, give me your absence tonight
I always laugh at this line. It's said slow, so you think she's going to say something like "Darling, give me your loving tonight", but she turns it around.
So we start with a reference to the partner, presumably father of the child (although possibly not). In some of the song she asked for his help, but there's also a strong sense that no matter what he does she has to go through it alone, and his sympathy is more like a weight than a help.
> Take the shade from the canvas and leave me the white
I always thought it was "leave me the wine"! Hmm, not quite sure about this one, but the blank canvas could be a reference to the empty womb.
> Let me sink in the silence that echoes inside
No more baby, so silent inside.
> And I ran my hand o'er a strange inversion
When the baby is inverted, ie upside down, it can lead to miscarriage. Don't know if this is what she's saying, but just a thought. Or maybe she just means that her tummy is less bulging and more inverted (by comparison at least).
> A vacancy that just did not belong
Empty womb.
> The child is gone
For a long time I just took this as metaphoric. It's such a catchphrase for loss of innocence. Funny how the metaphoric interpretation was the obvious one, and the literal interpretation the more obscure.
> I'm trying to find a place I belong
Someone said this didn't fit the miscarriage idea. I think it can. She would have put a lot of thought into preparing herself as a mother. Seeing herself in that role, and planning the next ten years around it. That is where she saw herself, where she felt she belonged. Now where does she belong?
> And I suddenly feel like a different person
Life has taken a different path.
> From the roots of my soul come a gentle coercion
Not sure about this. At this point in the song it could be seen as a distant voice inside her trying to pull her back out of the depression, given the slight optimism below.
> As the darkness turns into the dawn
The darkness turns into the dawn is maybe saying that the deepening depression is slowly turning around and life goes on.
> The child is gone
> The child is gone
Bye bye.
Rob.">
The Child Is Gone Meanings & Lyrics Discussion by The Clouds were good | SongMeanings
Darling, give me your absence tonight
I always laugh at this line. It's said slow, so you think she's going to say something like "Darling, give me your loving tonight", but she turns it around.
So we start with a reference to the partner, presumably father of the child (although possibly not). In some of the song she asked for his help, but there's also a strong sense that no matter what he does she has to go through it alone, and his sympathy is more like a weight than a help.
> Take the shade from the canvas and leave me the white
I always thought it was "leave me the wine"! Hmm, not quite sure about this one, but the blank canvas could be a reference to the empty womb.
> Let me sink in the silence that echoes inside
No more baby, so silent inside.
> And I ran my hand o'er a strange inversion
When the baby is inverted, ie upside down, it can lead to miscarriage. Don't know if this is what she's saying, but just a thought. Or maybe she just means that her tummy is less bulging and more inverted (by comparison at least).
> A vacancy that just did not belong
Empty womb.
> The child is gone
For a long time I just took this as metaphoric. It's such a catchphrase for loss of innocence. Funny how the metaphoric interpretation was the obvious one, and the literal interpretation the more obscure.
> I'm trying to find a place I belong
Someone said this didn't fit the miscarriage idea. I think it can. She would have put a lot of thought into preparing herself as a mother. Seeing herself in that role, and planning the next ten years around it. That is where she saw herself, where she felt she belonged. Now where does she belong?
> And I suddenly feel like a different person
Life has taken a different path.
> From the roots of my soul come a gentle coercion
Not sure about this. At this point in the song it could be seen as a distant voice inside her trying to pull her back out of the depression, given the slight optimism below.
> As the darkness turns into the dawn
The darkness turns into the dawn is maybe saying that the deepening depression is slowly turning around and life goes on.
> The child is gone
> The child is gone
Bye bye.
Rob." />
First to MeganIsProLife, this is not a forum for your presumably religious views. Abortions is not killing a "baby". It takes place before what we would call a baby exists. Before a sentient being exists. Yes, the process has started, but there's no consciousness in there provided the process is terminated early enough. It's mostly just religious groups, that have decided (with no evidence of course) that the "soul" enters at conception, that can justify spewing hatred towards the poor women faced with such a decision. It's funny really when you consider that the Bible sanctions stoning children to death for swearing (Leviticus 20:9) etc.
Onto the song! I heard it many times and just presumed it was about loss of innocence, but one day it clicked that it was about a miscarriage (or possibly an abortion, but nothing about it sounds planned), then it all made more sense.
OK, she was only 17, but the song isn't necessarily autobiographical. Could even be about a friend. Who knows? Anyway, she'd been raped at some point hadn't she? Maybe she got pregnant then, whether or not it's common knowledge (of course, to Megan this would be a "blessing". Nice one God :-)).
Darling, give me your absence tonight
I always laugh at this line. It's said slow, so you think she's going to say something like "Darling, give me your loving tonight", but she turns it around.
So we start with a reference to the partner, presumably father of the child (although possibly not). In some of the song she asked for his help, but there's also a strong sense that no matter what he does she has to go through it alone, and his sympathy is more like a weight than a help.
Take the shade from the canvas and leave me the white
I always thought it was "leave me the wine"! Hmm, not quite sure about this one, but the blank canvas could be a reference to the empty womb.
Let me sink in the silence that echoes inside
No more baby, so silent inside.
And I ran my hand o'er a strange inversion
When the baby is inverted, ie upside down, it can lead to miscarriage. Don't know if this is what she's saying, but just a thought. Or maybe she just means that her tummy is less bulging and more inverted (by comparison at least).
A vacancy that just did not belong
Empty womb.
The child is gone
For a long time I just took this as metaphoric. It's such a catchphrase for loss of innocence. Funny how the metaphoric interpretation was the obvious one, and the literal interpretation the more obscure.
I'm trying to find a place I belong
Someone said this didn't fit the miscarriage idea. I think it can. She would have put a lot of thought into preparing herself as a mother. Seeing herself in that role, and planning the next ten years around it. That is where she saw herself, where she felt she belonged. Now where does she belong?
And I suddenly feel like a different person
Life has taken a different path.
From the roots of my soul come a gentle coercion
Not sure about this. At this point in the song it could be seen as a distant voice inside her trying to pull her back out of the depression, given the slight optimism below.
As the darkness turns into the dawn
The darkness turns into the dawn is maybe saying that the deepening depression is slowly turning around and life goes on.
First to MeganIsProLife, this is not a forum for your presumably religious views. Abortions is not killing a "baby". It takes place before what we would call a baby exists. Before a sentient being exists. Yes, the process has started, but there's no consciousness in there provided the process is terminated early enough. It's mostly just religious groups, that have decided (with no evidence of course) that the "soul" enters at conception, that can justify spewing hatred towards the poor women faced with such a decision. It's funny really when you consider that the Bible sanctions stoning children to death for swearing (Leviticus 20:9) etc.
Onto the song! I heard it many times and just presumed it was about loss of innocence, but one day it clicked that it was about a miscarriage (or possibly an abortion, but nothing about it sounds planned), then it all made more sense.
OK, she was only 17, but the song isn't necessarily autobiographical. Could even be about a friend. Who knows? Anyway, she'd been raped at some point hadn't she? Maybe she got pregnant then, whether or not it's common knowledge (of course, to Megan this would be a "blessing". Nice one God :-)).
I always laugh at this line. It's said slow, so you think she's going to say something like "Darling, give me your loving tonight", but she turns it around.
So we start with a reference to the partner, presumably father of the child (although possibly not). In some of the song she asked for his help, but there's also a strong sense that no matter what he does she has to go through it alone, and his sympathy is more like a weight than a help.
I always thought it was "leave me the wine"! Hmm, not quite sure about this one, but the blank canvas could be a reference to the empty womb.
No more baby, so silent inside.
When the baby is inverted, ie upside down, it can lead to miscarriage. Don't know if this is what she's saying, but just a thought. Or maybe she just means that her tummy is less bulging and more inverted (by comparison at least).
Empty womb.
For a long time I just took this as metaphoric. It's such a catchphrase for loss of innocence. Funny how the metaphoric interpretation was the obvious one, and the literal interpretation the more obscure.
Someone said this didn't fit the miscarriage idea. I think it can. She would have put a lot of thought into preparing herself as a mother. Seeing herself in that role, and planning the next ten years around it. That is where she saw herself, where she felt she belonged. Now where does she belong?
Life has taken a different path.
Not sure about this. At this point in the song it could be seen as a distant voice inside her trying to pull her back out of the depression, given the slight optimism below.
The darkness turns into the dawn is maybe saying that the deepening depression is slowly turning around and life goes on.
Bye bye.
Rob.