Everything makes sense to me except the "cheerless pyre we will set alight" at the end of the song. It seems to suggest they are moving on from something, burning the past, but why then is it cheerless?
Because the pyre represents the old relationship that the singer is moving away from, which he's burning down. A pyre, by the way, is a stack of wood upon which you burn a dead body, so even without my interpretation, a pyre is a fairly cheerless object.
Because the pyre represents the old relationship that the singer is moving away from, which he's burning down. A pyre, by the way, is a stack of wood upon which you burn a dead body, so even without my interpretation, a pyre is a fairly cheerless object.
There are a few lines that don't seem to fit with the general theme of this poem (this song, by the way, is poetry!). The "cheerless pyre" is one; the dog being run over by a train is another. I guess there's a dark side of the new relationship, which is also why it's in a minor key.
There are a few lines that don't seem to fit with the general theme of this poem (this song, by the way, is poetry!). The "cheerless pyre" is one; the dog being run over by a train is another. I guess there's a dark side of the new relationship, which is also why it's in a minor key.
But it's definitely my favorite Shins song, has a great atmosphere, and syncopated rhythm. Just love it.
But it's definitely my favorite Shins song, has a great atmosphere, and syncopated rhythm. Just love it.
Everything makes sense to me except the "cheerless pyre we will set alight" at the end of the song. It seems to suggest they are moving on from something, burning the past, but why then is it cheerless?
Because the pyre represents the old relationship that the singer is moving away from, which he's burning down. A pyre, by the way, is a stack of wood upon which you burn a dead body, so even without my interpretation, a pyre is a fairly cheerless object.
Because the pyre represents the old relationship that the singer is moving away from, which he's burning down. A pyre, by the way, is a stack of wood upon which you burn a dead body, so even without my interpretation, a pyre is a fairly cheerless object.
There are a few lines that don't seem to fit with the general theme of this poem (this song, by the way, is poetry!). The "cheerless pyre" is one; the dog being run over by a train is another. I guess there's a dark side of the new relationship, which is also why it's in a minor key.
There are a few lines that don't seem to fit with the general theme of this poem (this song, by the way, is poetry!). The "cheerless pyre" is one; the dog being run over by a train is another. I guess there's a dark side of the new relationship, which is also why it's in a minor key.
But it's definitely my favorite Shins song, has a great atmosphere, and syncopated rhythm. Just love it.
But it's definitely my favorite Shins song, has a great atmosphere, and syncopated rhythm. Just love it.