Soft as Chalk Lyrics

Lyric discussion by sonikyouth74 

Cover art for Soft as Chalk lyrics by Joanna Newsom

What I hear in the song is regret about not being clearer about ones expectations in a relationship. It sounds like this lack of clarity was the result of fear of losing the person- "give love a little shove and it becomes terror"- When the relationship ends badly, the speaker feels like she can only blame herself, in a way, because "there is no treason when there is only lawlessness." It feels to me like she is asking if it is fair to blame someone for not living up to her expectations when she was too afraid to make those expectations clear.

My Interpretation