I think this song is about a woman who is very cold and unwelcoming. She lives her life trying to do what is good for her, but doesn't care who she hurts in the process. The only seemingly good things she does seem to be purely administrative rather than because she has any goodness in her soul. She rides on the coattails of others to achieve comfort, rather than honestly earning it herself, and dwells on her past (artificial) status rather than acknowledge her descent into the 'little flat' she belongs in.
In her old age, you would expect her to reflect on her life and realise the damage she's done to other people, but the tragedy is that she goes into denial or is perhaps oblivious because she lacks the capacity to do good. The closest thing we get to justice is the assurance that other people are better; her son visits her as a token gesture and her daughter rebelled against her wishes.
So she sits alone trying to convince people she is younger than she is. If you listen to the tone and inflections in Neil's voice for each 'no, you couldn't be', the first time it sounds like 'you look about 70, but I'm doing the appropriate etiquette response', the second time is 'I might believe you, but I'm surprised/confused as I secretly though you were older' and is almost patronising, and the third time is almost sympathetic, like the 'nice young man' has just heard she has a horrible disease.
Regarding her husband, in the past it was common for men to have a mistress, but putting that aside, it seems that the wedding was based on social status on both sides anyway, and the husband didn't really care about her either, so in a sense they deserved each other. I imagine the husband died a very lonely man.
I've met this kind of woman before, several times. If I may stereotype for a moment, they are all women, had thin blonde hair, been alcoholics and very frail and thin looking, and sound like heavy smokers (think Dierdry from Corrie lol). I'm sure there are all sorts of people who fit this mould though, but that's how I imagine this woman to be due to my personal experience. The kind of things they've said are 'my workplace is my soap opera' and 'I have an honours degree' as an argument. Others are 'I am what I am' and 'I'm the Merry Widow' (upon hearing her estranged husband had died, meaning that she inherited everything because he had no will and they never divorced). So this song resonates with me.
I think that rather than see this as a tragic story, it is uplifting for me to know that I am not the only one who has met this woman in many forms, and that there is someone else who recognises this villainous yet sorry character. Neil seems to deny the listener any hope of this woman's recovery from her wickedness, so I think that the song is a challenge for us to find the hope within ourselves that there are good people in the world, and be warned not to slip into becoming this 'lady of a certain age' ourselves.
Xaul, I created this account to answer you. I am french, and I had difficulties to understand all the meaning of this song. Thank you for taking time to share your interpretation. I think you're right and I can imagine what kind of women Neil is talking about. With your words, this song is even more sad to me than before. It is not so easy to get the control of our life. Maybe this woman was not mentally strong and enough courageous to change her destiny. She was a victim of its weakness.
Xaul, I created this account to answer you. I am french, and I had difficulties to understand all the meaning of this song. Thank you for taking time to share your interpretation. I think you're right and I can imagine what kind of women Neil is talking about. With your words, this song is even more sad to me than before. It is not so easy to get the control of our life. Maybe this woman was not mentally strong and enough courageous to change her destiny. She was a victim of its weakness.
@xaul I don't think Neil Hannon is as judgemental about this character as you are. I think she's certainly a tragic character, yes, but I don't think Neil portrays her as villainous, but certainly not as virtuous either. One can make their own interpretation of the character, but I don't think her wickedness is implied in the song.
@xaul I don't think Neil Hannon is as judgemental about this character as you are. I think she's certainly a tragic character, yes, but I don't think Neil portrays her as villainous, but certainly not as virtuous either. One can make their own interpretation of the character, but I don't think her wickedness is implied in the song.
My own feeling is that she was part of a culture in which a lot of the things Neil describes were common, and while they may seem objectionable to those outside of high society, it may just have been "how things were done" within. She is certainly not free from selfishness, but she learned from the society she kept, and just went along with it, without questioning, without a clear motivation in life, and without trying to improve herself or find a greater meaning... and ended up a lonely woman.
I think this song is about a woman who is very cold and unwelcoming. She lives her life trying to do what is good for her, but doesn't care who she hurts in the process. The only seemingly good things she does seem to be purely administrative rather than because she has any goodness in her soul. She rides on the coattails of others to achieve comfort, rather than honestly earning it herself, and dwells on her past (artificial) status rather than acknowledge her descent into the 'little flat' she belongs in.
In her old age, you would expect her to reflect on her life and realise the damage she's done to other people, but the tragedy is that she goes into denial or is perhaps oblivious because she lacks the capacity to do good. The closest thing we get to justice is the assurance that other people are better; her son visits her as a token gesture and her daughter rebelled against her wishes.
So she sits alone trying to convince people she is younger than she is. If you listen to the tone and inflections in Neil's voice for each 'no, you couldn't be', the first time it sounds like 'you look about 70, but I'm doing the appropriate etiquette response', the second time is 'I might believe you, but I'm surprised/confused as I secretly though you were older' and is almost patronising, and the third time is almost sympathetic, like the 'nice young man' has just heard she has a horrible disease.
Regarding her husband, in the past it was common for men to have a mistress, but putting that aside, it seems that the wedding was based on social status on both sides anyway, and the husband didn't really care about her either, so in a sense they deserved each other. I imagine the husband died a very lonely man.
I've met this kind of woman before, several times. If I may stereotype for a moment, they are all women, had thin blonde hair, been alcoholics and very frail and thin looking, and sound like heavy smokers (think Dierdry from Corrie lol). I'm sure there are all sorts of people who fit this mould though, but that's how I imagine this woman to be due to my personal experience. The kind of things they've said are 'my workplace is my soap opera' and 'I have an honours degree' as an argument. Others are 'I am what I am' and 'I'm the Merry Widow' (upon hearing her estranged husband had died, meaning that she inherited everything because he had no will and they never divorced). So this song resonates with me.
I think that rather than see this as a tragic story, it is uplifting for me to know that I am not the only one who has met this woman in many forms, and that there is someone else who recognises this villainous yet sorry character. Neil seems to deny the listener any hope of this woman's recovery from her wickedness, so I think that the song is a challenge for us to find the hope within ourselves that there are good people in the world, and be warned not to slip into becoming this 'lady of a certain age' ourselves.
Xaul, I created this account to answer you. I am french, and I had difficulties to understand all the meaning of this song. Thank you for taking time to share your interpretation. I think you're right and I can imagine what kind of women Neil is talking about. With your words, this song is even more sad to me than before. It is not so easy to get the control of our life. Maybe this woman was not mentally strong and enough courageous to change her destiny. She was a victim of its weakness.
Xaul, I created this account to answer you. I am french, and I had difficulties to understand all the meaning of this song. Thank you for taking time to share your interpretation. I think you're right and I can imagine what kind of women Neil is talking about. With your words, this song is even more sad to me than before. It is not so easy to get the control of our life. Maybe this woman was not mentally strong and enough courageous to change her destiny. She was a victim of its weakness.
@xaul I don't think Neil Hannon is as judgemental about this character as you are. I think she's certainly a tragic character, yes, but I don't think Neil portrays her as villainous, but certainly not as virtuous either. One can make their own interpretation of the character, but I don't think her wickedness is implied in the song.
@xaul I don't think Neil Hannon is as judgemental about this character as you are. I think she's certainly a tragic character, yes, but I don't think Neil portrays her as villainous, but certainly not as virtuous either. One can make their own interpretation of the character, but I don't think her wickedness is implied in the song.
My own feeling is that she was part of a culture in which a lot of the things Neil describes were common, and while they may seem objectionable to those outside of high society, it may just have been "how things were done" within. She is certainly not free from selfishness, but she learned from the society she kept, and just went along with it, without questioning, without a clear motivation in life, and without trying to improve herself or find a greater meaning... and ended up a lonely woman.
@xaul Appreciate your effort to write this :-)
@xaul Appreciate your effort to write this :-)
I noticed that in the last repeat of the chorus, in the line
I noticed that in the last repeat of the chorus, in the line
And he'd say,"no, you couldn't be!"
And he'd say,"no, you couldn't be!"
"he'd" is changed to "you'd" which I guess changes the meaning
"he'd" is changed to "you'd" which I guess changes the meaning
Not that I really understand it better!
Not that I really understand it better!