"if they should touch, the hem of your dress
I would rise like a lion, strike out again"
I agree that this line has biblical connotation, and while I agree it may be referring to trust and faithfulness, I see it more as the protagonist's continual desire to protect the person he loves, the tragedy being that they have been killed in a car accident. I feel this is made even more poignant by the line in the first chorus, "I will keep you safe from harm".
Interestingly, the "old dark machine" seems to be a referrence to William Blake's poem 'And did those feet in ancient time', and the line "dark satanic mills" which has been interpretted as industy destroying nature. This theme can also be seen in the continual natural imagery of the song and the "wonderous magic" that nature brings, and obviously that they are killed in a car crash.
So while the song is about a couple being killed in a car crash, it has much loftier themes of the purity and sanctuary of nature, contrasted by the denegrating effect of industry and modernity. However, the reprise is that the singer's faith transcends these problems and they will live in their loving state for ever.
Sorry for waffling a bit, but this is a great song.
The two previous interpretations are great.
"if they should touch, the hem of your dress I would rise like a lion, strike out again"
I agree that this line has biblical connotation, and while I agree it may be referring to trust and faithfulness, I see it more as the protagonist's continual desire to protect the person he loves, the tragedy being that they have been killed in a car accident. I feel this is made even more poignant by the line in the first chorus, "I will keep you safe from harm". Interestingly, the "old dark machine" seems to be a referrence to William Blake's poem 'And did those feet in ancient time', and the line "dark satanic mills" which has been interpretted as industy destroying nature. This theme can also be seen in the continual natural imagery of the song and the "wonderous magic" that nature brings, and obviously that they are killed in a car crash. So while the song is about a couple being killed in a car crash, it has much loftier themes of the purity and sanctuary of nature, contrasted by the denegrating effect of industry and modernity. However, the reprise is that the singer's faith transcends these problems and they will live in their loving state for ever. Sorry for waffling a bit, but this is a great song.