The cover by Blackmore's Night is the first version I heard of this beautiful, yet tragic song. I love it so much.. To me, it tells the tale of someone who gives so much of her self to another that her own essence is eventually lost.
The story starts by describing previous relationships in which her partners seem to have been abusive and coercive, and/or tried to win her love with material things. She feels no deep connection to any of these people, and her relationship with each of them fails.
She does, however, meet someone at last that she feels is worthy of her love and devotion. Without realizing it, she comes to exist only for and through this person-- blind to his flaws, and so completely and unquestioningly committed to helping him "shine" that she loses all sense of her own identity.. her value as an individual. And so, when this person ends up leaving her, she is merely an empty husk with no purpose; no energy left to sustain her.
Incidentally, it reminds me a bit of poet Shel Silverstein's story of The Giving Tree. So very, very sad...
The cover by Blackmore's Night is the first version I heard of this beautiful, yet tragic song. I love it so much.. To me, it tells the tale of someone who gives so much of her self to another that her own essence is eventually lost.
The story starts by describing previous relationships in which her partners seem to have been abusive and coercive, and/or tried to win her love with material things. She feels no deep connection to any of these people, and her relationship with each of them fails.
She does, however, meet someone at last that she feels is worthy of her love and devotion. Without realizing it, she comes to exist only for and through this person-- blind to his flaws, and so completely and unquestioningly committed to helping him "shine" that she loses all sense of her own identity.. her value as an individual. And so, when this person ends up leaving her, she is merely an empty husk with no purpose; no energy left to sustain her.
Incidentally, it reminds me a bit of poet Shel Silverstein's story of The Giving Tree. So very, very sad...