To me, this song is not only about a relationship that has gone terribly wrong and plummeted to the ground. It is also about the faults that both people bring to a relationship and how what is said and done after the relationship ends, can be as painful as the breakup itself. For instance, in the first stanza, Feist sings about how "the telegraph cables hum" meaning that this person continues to contact her without any hope of salvaging the relationship. This means that the conversations that she now has with him are pointless. Also, she sings that "few can decipher who the message is from" meaning that she has no idea who this man is anymore, as he is acting so differently compared to the man he was during the relationship. Finally, in my opinion, the last line of the first stanza is extremely effective as it is very ambiguous. Firstly, it could mean that although the relationship between her and this person has ended, he is still contacting her as a result of the pity that he feels for her. I absolutely love this song. It is refreshing to hear such a pure and beautiful voice.
To me, this song is not only about a relationship that has gone terribly wrong and plummeted to the ground. It is also about the faults that both people bring to a relationship and how what is said and done after the relationship ends, can be as painful as the breakup itself. For instance, in the first stanza, Feist sings about how "the telegraph cables hum" meaning that this person continues to contact her without any hope of salvaging the relationship. This means that the conversations that she now has with him are pointless. Also, she sings that "few can decipher who the message is from" meaning that she has no idea who this man is anymore, as he is acting so differently compared to the man he was during the relationship. Finally, in my opinion, the last line of the first stanza is extremely effective as it is very ambiguous. Firstly, it could mean that although the relationship between her and this person has ended, he is still contacting her as a result of the pity that he feels for her. I absolutely love this song. It is refreshing to hear such a pure and beautiful voice.