"and if i could swim
i'd swim out to you in the ocean
swim out to where you were floating
in the dark"
Floating in the ocean alone is symbolic of the girl's isolation. Especially in the dark, she is isolated, from others and from seeing who she really is. She's being 'kept in the dark'.
"and if i was blessed
i'd walk on the water you're breathing
to lend you some air for that heaving
sunken chest"
The guy wants to walk over the isolation she is in and restore air- reality, new life, purity- into her being.
"because they chose you as the model
for their empty little dreams
with your new head
and your legs spread
like a filthy magazine"
The girl has been brainwashed into being what other people want her to be. People who don't have the right sort of morals, and who don't care about her as a person at all.
"and they hunt you
and they gut you
and you give in"
This has a lot of relevence to highschool and how bitchy girls are. They gang up on one girl, absolutely tear her to shreds and end up making her believe the things they say about her.
"and if i was brave
i'd climb up to you on the mountain
they led you to drink from their fountain
spouting lies"
The mountain signifies how far from herself she is, and the fountain she was led to drink from is the lies of everyone around her. Also, imagining a mountain gives you the impression she's close to the edge and could fall at any moment, a long way down. The higher you climb, the harder you fall.
"and i'd slay
the horrible beast they commissioned
to steer me away from my mission
to your eyes"
'Horrible beast' for me is symbolic of rumours and reputations, which deter people from actually knowing a person's soul. It is said a person's eyes are the gateway to their soul, so in effect, the guy is saying that he will (kill)dismiss the lies told about her and stick to his objective to see who the girl really is by looking at her soul.
"and i'd stand there like a soldier
with my foot upon his chest
with my grin spread
and my arms out
in my bloodstained sunday's best"
Basically, the guy is saying he'd take pride in triumphing against the lies about her and greet her as he was. He isn't afraid to show her who he is, he doesn't try to be perfect, in his 'bloodstained' sunday's best.
"and you'd hold me
i'd remind you who you are
under their shell"
He knows she would accept him for who he is, and he would make her remember who she was underneath all the constrictions everyone else placed upon her.
"i'd walk through hell for you
let it burn right through my shoes
these soles are useless without you
let the torturing ensue
my soul is useless without you"
He would walk through so much shit for her, welcoming the worst, because he believes he's not complete without her and that she would be more than worth it all.
"and if they sent a whirlwind
i'd hug it like a harmless little tree
or an earthquake
i'd calm it
and i'd bring you back to me
and i'd hold you in my weak arms
like a first born"
This is just saying how he would deal with the dramas thrown his way by everyone else. And amongst all that, he would continue to remind her of who she was.
"now i walked through hell for you
what's an adventurer to do
but rest these feet at home with you"
Now that he's endured all the shit thrown at them, all he wants to do is just be with her. Its where he knows he belongs.
This song is almost like a quest. In the end, after coming out victorious against trials, he wins the girl. That's the reason why I think the lyrics have "and if" and "and I'd". Also, 'slay'ing the beast, seems like slaying a drangon to save the damsel etc... the guy is just describing a scenario, which reminds the audience of a tale about a knight doing something noble. It makes it seem more romantic than him saying, "Yeah, ill just ignore what people say about you. I'll tell them to STFU."
I have actually cried a couple of times in the past when I listened to this song.
He's the only one that sees her clearly and he knows she's worth the work of enduring what other people say about her, and he was willing to save her from it all and make her remember who she really is.
"and if i could swim i'd swim out to you in the ocean swim out to where you were floating in the dark"
"and if i was blessed i'd walk on the water you're breathing to lend you some air for that heaving sunken chest"
"because they chose you as the model for their empty little dreams with your new head and your legs spread like a filthy magazine"
"and they hunt you and they gut you and you give in"
"and if i was brave i'd climb up to you on the mountain they led you to drink from their fountain spouting lies"
"and i'd slay the horrible beast they commissioned to steer me away from my mission to your eyes"
"and i'd stand there like a soldier with my foot upon his chest with my grin spread and my arms out in my bloodstained sunday's best"
"and you'd hold me i'd remind you who you are under their shell"
"i'd walk through hell for you let it burn right through my shoes these soles are useless without you let the torturing ensue my soul is useless without you"
"and if they sent a whirlwind i'd hug it like a harmless little tree or an earthquake i'd calm it and i'd bring you back to me and i'd hold you in my weak arms like a first born"
"now i walked through hell for you what's an adventurer to do but rest these feet at home with you"
This song is almost like a quest. In the end, after coming out victorious against trials, he wins the girl. That's the reason why I think the lyrics have "and if" and "and I'd". Also, 'slay'ing the beast, seems like slaying a drangon to save the damsel etc... the guy is just describing a scenario, which reminds the audience of a tale about a knight doing something noble. It makes it seem more romantic than him saying, "Yeah, ill just ignore what people say about you. I'll tell them to STFU."
I have actually cried a couple of times in the past when I listened to this song.
He's the only one that sees her clearly and he knows she's worth the work of enduring what other people say about her, and he was willing to save her from it all and make her remember who she really is.