Ok first of all I don't understand why people get so excited over his use of the word horny. I'm guessing those responses were made by 15 yr olds. Many people see this as a song about a current lover and an ex. When I hear this song I hear him singing about his mistress and his wife (or girlfriend).
If you listen to the songs in order on the album the first song "9 crimes" is obviously about two people having an affair and then the next song "the animals were gone" seems to be about his wife leaving him because of his indiscretions and neglect, and him realizing how much he loves her and wants her back; then this song seems to be him saying the affair needs to end because he doesn't think it's going anywhere and he wants his wife back.
He's saying this affair has to die, it has to stop. The mistress can keep him pinned because it's easier to tease. "But you can't paint an elephant quite as good as she", the mistress can't handle the deeper issues as well as his wife, the so-called elephant-in-the-room. And yeah he may complain about her crying and driving him crazy, but it's not because of her it's because of him.
And the mistress also is cheating on her husband and that's the references to him being her crutch and about her sinning. His comments about her lying and the pillow case being easier for her to touch make me think that he's expressing his frustration and insecurity that she hasn't left her husband, which could be the reason why he is also thinking the affair needs to stop. The line about forgetting the breeze seems to indicate that the mistress is the same girl that he is singing about in the blower's daughter.
She may rise if I sing you down (she may take him back if he talks down the mistress and apologizes)
She may wisely cling to the ground (she may be smart enough to not believe him)
Cause I am lately horny (because she knows that he misses her touch)
So why would she take me horny? (and why should she take him back when he's just horny and nothing has really changed)
I think the change in the music is because he then starts to speak to his wife saying he doesn't know why he's even singing the song because she already left him, but he'd leave the mistress and lie about his feelings for her if the wife wants him to because he thinks that he should end the affair and be with her.
They can both keep him pinned but they can't make him happy quite as well as he can is referring to the fact that he knows that he is using them and the sexual and emotional gratification to make himself feel better, but he knows the whole mess and all the problems are because he's lonely and unhappy with himself.
Ok first of all I don't understand why people get so excited over his use of the word horny. I'm guessing those responses were made by 15 yr olds. Many people see this as a song about a current lover and an ex. When I hear this song I hear him singing about his mistress and his wife (or girlfriend).
If you listen to the songs in order on the album the first song "9 crimes" is obviously about two people having an affair and then the next song "the animals were gone" seems to be about his wife leaving him because of his indiscretions and neglect, and him realizing how much he loves her and wants her back; then this song seems to be him saying the affair needs to end because he doesn't think it's going anywhere and he wants his wife back.
He's saying this affair has to die, it has to stop. The mistress can keep him pinned because it's easier to tease. "But you can't paint an elephant quite as good as she", the mistress can't handle the deeper issues as well as his wife, the so-called elephant-in-the-room. And yeah he may complain about her crying and driving him crazy, but it's not because of her it's because of him.
And the mistress also is cheating on her husband and that's the references to him being her crutch and about her sinning. His comments about her lying and the pillow case being easier for her to touch make me think that he's expressing his frustration and insecurity that she hasn't left her husband, which could be the reason why he is also thinking the affair needs to stop. The line about forgetting the breeze seems to indicate that the mistress is the same girl that he is singing about in the blower's daughter.
She may rise if I sing you down (she may take him back if he talks down the mistress and apologizes) She may wisely cling to the ground (she may be smart enough to not believe him) Cause I am lately horny (because she knows that he misses her touch) So why would she take me horny? (and why should she take him back when he's just horny and nothing has really changed)
I think the change in the music is because he then starts to speak to his wife saying he doesn't know why he's even singing the song because she already left him, but he'd leave the mistress and lie about his feelings for her if the wife wants him to because he thinks that he should end the affair and be with her.
They can both keep him pinned but they can't make him happy quite as well as he can is referring to the fact that he knows that he is using them and the sexual and emotional gratification to make himself feel better, but he knows the whole mess and all the problems are because he's lonely and unhappy with himself.