I see the following situation being described... a man, perhaps a musician, has the option of being with one of two people.
One, "My Bodyguard," is the woman whom he is either already with (or at least, she'll claim that he is). She is assertively protective of him and makes a point to deter others from getting close to him with a "revolver." My Bodyguard is who wants him, but not who he wants.
The other, nicknamed "Manhattan" in the song, is the "you" who the song is essentially written towards. "Wear[ing] [her] skirt like a flag," she commands his attention with how she conducts herself. He believes she possesses a longevity, a wisdom, as she "doesn't fade" which directly contrasts how he sees his own seemingly-temporary contribution to the world. His work "only lasts a season" and only captures the interest of fad-happy and uncritical "bedroom kids."
"My Bodyguard" girl tries to convince him that "Manhattan" girl is "bad blood" and the "low-life of the party" because she feels threatened by her and wants to persuade him that she is bad for him.
The man, however, is conflicted. Manhattan is "the only good part of [him]" when she is around. She's only near him for "a little while" but makes such an impression on him that all he can do is "[light] up" and smoke his anxiety down. When making the case for "My Bodyguard," he wants to be able to convince himself that he has tried to "untie" from Manhattan. This may be to preserve his relationship with "My Bodyguard" or, perhaps, because he's intimidated by how desperately he wants a potentially unobtainable "Manhattan." He's not satisfied, of course, with that answer. He wants to be "in control" of the situation but he's torn and, instead of getting what he wants, he can only, helplessly, light up.
I see the following situation being described... a man, perhaps a musician, has the option of being with one of two people.
One, "My Bodyguard," is the woman whom he is either already with (or at least, she'll claim that he is). She is assertively protective of him and makes a point to deter others from getting close to him with a "revolver." My Bodyguard is who wants him, but not who he wants.
The other, nicknamed "Manhattan" in the song, is the "you" who the song is essentially written towards. "Wear[ing] [her] skirt like a flag," she commands his attention with how she conducts herself. He believes she possesses a longevity, a wisdom, as she "doesn't fade" which directly contrasts how he sees his own seemingly-temporary contribution to the world. His work "only lasts a season" and only captures the interest of fad-happy and uncritical "bedroom kids."
"My Bodyguard" girl tries to convince him that "Manhattan" girl is "bad blood" and the "low-life of the party" because she feels threatened by her and wants to persuade him that she is bad for him.
The man, however, is conflicted. Manhattan is "the only good part of [him]" when she is around. She's only near him for "a little while" but makes such an impression on him that all he can do is "[light] up" and smoke his anxiety down. When making the case for "My Bodyguard," he wants to be able to convince himself that he has tried to "untie" from Manhattan. This may be to preserve his relationship with "My Bodyguard" or, perhaps, because he's intimidated by how desperately he wants a potentially unobtainable "Manhattan." He's not satisfied, of course, with that answer. He wants to be "in control" of the situation but he's torn and, instead of getting what he wants, he can only, helplessly, light up.