A white elephant is a costly and impractical gift that you cannot dispose of. It symbolized purity and justice to rulers, especially Buddhists, in Asia. It has double meaning because it was a sign of the king's favor to receive one, but you incurred the expense of taking care of it.
The "white elephant" in the song is someone who purports to have good (or pure) intentions. The line "Who sent you to loom?" shows the narrator thinks differently. The word "looms" implying they are uninvited, even menacing. Perhaps it’s someone being friendly or offering to make amends but whom the narrator knows is insincere. We know the narrator has an existing relationship with the “white elephant” since the song opens with “Visit again”. The double meaning of a white elephant is captured by the way the individual presents themselves, as good and pure, and they way the narrator actually sees them, as a burden. This is a relationship whose costs outweigh the benefits but perhaps they are tied by a sense of obligation, familial or something else.
In the third stanza “Shall we sever everything” the narrator ponders severing this relationship permanently.
“Ponder this while we ponder why He’s starting to follow crows” The “we” is not the narrator and the “elephant” but several people considering the “elephant’s” actions, his decision to follow crows. The crows are symbols of deceit, manipulation and death. The individual is starting to follow a dark and wayward path, perhaps in contrast to his former self. Aided by his imagery of “climbing the ladder” it’s as if he’s emerging somewhere from the depths. The ones who he is “Really beginning to scare” are those who love or depend on this transforming individual.
The last stanza before the chorus “plotting to comb the grounds with a fine tooth” is very poetic. Using a fine tooth comb means to examine carefully or meticulously but the order of words is changed. He is actually combing with a “fine tooth”. This gives us the idea that the individual is a type of predator. He is “plotting” or scheming, and methodically searching his surroundings(perhaps his friends and family) for prey. We start to understand that his deceitfulness is not just intentional but also destructive and self serving.
The chorus is ironic. “You poor little antisaint” seems like an expression of pity but is actually sarcastic. The individual initially referred to as a white elephant is now the antisaint. This reveals their hypocrisy by contrasting how they try to represent themselves, as good and just, with what they actually are. It also seems that in spite of their own deceitfulness they've come seeking sympathy from the narrator.
“Nothing to say for the last time” The individual still has no excuse or explanation for past transgressions, indicating lack of sincere remorse or desire to reform. “Just want to sink his will” is a difficult line to decipher. Who wants to sink whose will? What does this mean? Given the previous stanza “his will” seems more likely to mean “his own will”. Perhaps the individual’s darker desires are overpowering his will power. This could mean he is submitting his conscience or his desire to reform to some more powerful, selfish desire.
“Like a predator’s prey in the cold, slowly starts to show” is a cryptic follow up. Now we’re clearly
presented the image of a predator although it doesn’t seem to refer to the individual in question. Rather, it’s the image of something concealed inevitably becoming visible that seems to mirror the individual’s true nature coming to light.
"Assurance is what they need hold the lion until its fed" helps to solidify several of our previous
interpretations. There is no more hinting that this individual is a predator he is now plainly referred to as the lion. Again, it seems he's come seeking sympathy or help, or perhaps to reestablish relationships, but his acquaintances are reluctant to trust him again. Their fear of the lion's hunger is their fear of becoming his next victim. (perhaps for a second time)
"Its still only morning" The light of day is coming and we're waiting for it to reveal the individual's true nature to us. Also, we know lions hunt in the morning. "morning" could also be "mourning" foreshadowing death. "But the fly's surfaced" seems to confirm this. The lion has a new kill, a new victim.
"The stakes are too low we may not need any" is very cryptic. High stakes are when someone makes a large gamble. This might imply that the narrator no longer sees ridding himself of this relationship as a great loss.
There are two common interpretations of whats said in the next stanza. "Could we never feel" or "Course we never feared". Neither one clearly makes more sense than the other in context but it sounds more to me like "Course we never feared". This could mean that while the "lion" has victimized many of those who trusted him and who now fear him the narrator himself is exempt. Perhaps he was privy to the "lion's" true nature before the others or is just not afraid to stand up to him.
This could be supported by the fact that he addresses the individual directly (calls him "you") in the
following stanzas. "And if you could tell that the cleverest acting was the lying by you" repeating the
accusation at the end 3 times for emphasis. He directly accuses the individual of "lying" and "acting". By accusing him of acting he makes clear his belief that this persons deceit was coldly premeditated with specific and intended consequences. It also provides an image of extensive, well orchestrated manipulation.
Anyways, thats my take on this great song. I loved reading the other interpretations as well. Enjoy.
A white elephant is a costly and impractical gift that you cannot dispose of. It symbolized purity and justice to rulers, especially Buddhists, in Asia. It has double meaning because it was a sign of the king's favor to receive one, but you incurred the expense of taking care of it.
The "white elephant" in the song is someone who purports to have good (or pure) intentions. The line "Who sent you to loom?" shows the narrator thinks differently. The word "looms" implying they are uninvited, even menacing. Perhaps it’s someone being friendly or offering to make amends but whom the narrator knows is insincere. We know the narrator has an existing relationship with the “white elephant” since the song opens with “Visit again”. The double meaning of a white elephant is captured by the way the individual presents themselves, as good and pure, and they way the narrator actually sees them, as a burden. This is a relationship whose costs outweigh the benefits but perhaps they are tied by a sense of obligation, familial or something else.
In the third stanza “Shall we sever everything” the narrator ponders severing this relationship permanently.
“Ponder this while we ponder why He’s starting to follow crows” The “we” is not the narrator and the “elephant” but several people considering the “elephant’s” actions, his decision to follow crows. The crows are symbols of deceit, manipulation and death. The individual is starting to follow a dark and wayward path, perhaps in contrast to his former self. Aided by his imagery of “climbing the ladder” it’s as if he’s emerging somewhere from the depths. The ones who he is “Really beginning to scare” are those who love or depend on this transforming individual.
The last stanza before the chorus “plotting to comb the grounds with a fine tooth” is very poetic. Using a fine tooth comb means to examine carefully or meticulously but the order of words is changed. He is actually combing with a “fine tooth”. This gives us the idea that the individual is a type of predator. He is “plotting” or scheming, and methodically searching his surroundings(perhaps his friends and family) for prey. We start to understand that his deceitfulness is not just intentional but also destructive and self serving.
The chorus is ironic. “You poor little antisaint” seems like an expression of pity but is actually sarcastic. The individual initially referred to as a white elephant is now the antisaint. This reveals their hypocrisy by contrasting how they try to represent themselves, as good and just, with what they actually are. It also seems that in spite of their own deceitfulness they've come seeking sympathy from the narrator.
“Nothing to say for the last time” The individual still has no excuse or explanation for past transgressions, indicating lack of sincere remorse or desire to reform. “Just want to sink his will” is a difficult line to decipher. Who wants to sink whose will? What does this mean? Given the previous stanza “his will” seems more likely to mean “his own will”. Perhaps the individual’s darker desires are overpowering his will power. This could mean he is submitting his conscience or his desire to reform to some more powerful, selfish desire.
“Like a predator’s prey in the cold, slowly starts to show” is a cryptic follow up. Now we’re clearly presented the image of a predator although it doesn’t seem to refer to the individual in question. Rather, it’s the image of something concealed inevitably becoming visible that seems to mirror the individual’s true nature coming to light.
"Assurance is what they need hold the lion until its fed" helps to solidify several of our previous interpretations. There is no more hinting that this individual is a predator he is now plainly referred to as the lion. Again, it seems he's come seeking sympathy or help, or perhaps to reestablish relationships, but his acquaintances are reluctant to trust him again. Their fear of the lion's hunger is their fear of becoming his next victim. (perhaps for a second time)
"Its still only morning" The light of day is coming and we're waiting for it to reveal the individual's true nature to us. Also, we know lions hunt in the morning. "morning" could also be "mourning" foreshadowing death. "But the fly's surfaced" seems to confirm this. The lion has a new kill, a new victim.
"The stakes are too low we may not need any" is very cryptic. High stakes are when someone makes a large gamble. This might imply that the narrator no longer sees ridding himself of this relationship as a great loss.
There are two common interpretations of whats said in the next stanza. "Could we never feel" or "Course we never feared". Neither one clearly makes more sense than the other in context but it sounds more to me like "Course we never feared". This could mean that while the "lion" has victimized many of those who trusted him and who now fear him the narrator himself is exempt. Perhaps he was privy to the "lion's" true nature before the others or is just not afraid to stand up to him.
This could be supported by the fact that he addresses the individual directly (calls him "you") in the following stanzas. "And if you could tell that the cleverest acting was the lying by you" repeating the accusation at the end 3 times for emphasis. He directly accuses the individual of "lying" and "acting". By accusing him of acting he makes clear his belief that this persons deceit was coldly premeditated with specific and intended consequences. It also provides an image of extensive, well orchestrated manipulation.
Anyways, thats my take on this great song. I loved reading the other interpretations as well. Enjoy.