Oh God, this song. I wrote a short story about this song once. Basically, a woman spends the day chit-chatting with her old friend, talking about how she's getting married and what a shock it is considering how her friend used to be. That is, flawed if she's not free. But the narrator doesn't seem to mind, because her friend seems happy. Meanwhile, the narrator is seeing a "married man" who's going to come live with her in California. Later, that night, the narrator picks up the phone to hear that her friend hadn't really loved her husband until she realized he was going to leave her for someone in California. The narrator, putting two and two together, tells her friend not to worry because she needs her freedom and that the husband will never leave her.
I've always thought it was interesting to try and place which of the three people you'd rather be in the scenario. If you're the friend, you get what you want in the end in the sense that your husband will stay with you, but you suffer the most emotional stress. If you're the husband, you get the prideful feeling that you will always have company, but at the same time, you don't get to pick whose company you have. If you're the narrator, then you know the entire story by the end (whereas the friend and husband are still probably confused) and you have the most control of the situation, but you also suffer the most loss because you remain alone at the end of the story.
I would agree, but I think the husband got to choose. When the narrator says that he will never leave the friend for her, I think it means that no matter what, the husband will love his wife more than the narrator if that makes sense, which is what is saddest for me.
I would agree, but I think the husband got to choose. When the narrator says that he will never leave the friend for her, I think it means that no matter what, the husband will love his wife more than the narrator if that makes sense, which is what is saddest for me.
Oh God, this song. I wrote a short story about this song once. Basically, a woman spends the day chit-chatting with her old friend, talking about how she's getting married and what a shock it is considering how her friend used to be. That is, flawed if she's not free. But the narrator doesn't seem to mind, because her friend seems happy. Meanwhile, the narrator is seeing a "married man" who's going to come live with her in California. Later, that night, the narrator picks up the phone to hear that her friend hadn't really loved her husband until she realized he was going to leave her for someone in California. The narrator, putting two and two together, tells her friend not to worry because she needs her freedom and that the husband will never leave her.
I've always thought it was interesting to try and place which of the three people you'd rather be in the scenario. If you're the friend, you get what you want in the end in the sense that your husband will stay with you, but you suffer the most emotional stress. If you're the husband, you get the prideful feeling that you will always have company, but at the same time, you don't get to pick whose company you have. If you're the narrator, then you know the entire story by the end (whereas the friend and husband are still probably confused) and you have the most control of the situation, but you also suffer the most loss because you remain alone at the end of the story.
I would agree, but I think the husband got to choose. When the narrator says that he will never leave the friend for her, I think it means that no matter what, the husband will love his wife more than the narrator if that makes sense, which is what is saddest for me.
I would agree, but I think the husband got to choose. When the narrator says that he will never leave the friend for her, I think it means that no matter what, the husband will love his wife more than the narrator if that makes sense, which is what is saddest for me.