She Hangs Brightly Lyrics

Lyric discussion by asSTARSfallx 

Cover art for She Hangs Brightly lyrics by Mazzy Star

I think this song is about finding out that someone you love has killed themselves, and how, upon realizing it, you also feel dead inside. It's like the person who's passed on has taken you to the "other side" with them. Either that or it's overtly about coming down off of drugs - you're high and hanging brightly as you hit the other side (that ephemeral high), but as you come down it cuts you like a knife when you have to face reality. To me, though, I think suicide seems to fit better. Perhaps it was a literal hanging (or maybe that's just a metaphor and it was actually a drug overdose that killed her friend/lover). The "game" is either drugs (you win the game by scoring again) or life (you win by getting out of it), and the "victory" is so very bittersweet.