It could be that this song is really just the story of a sailor and his crew's desperate, life long search for a mermaid they once caught (whom one particular man fell in love with). However, I think it's incredibly analogous to a love that is almost obsessive, completely enthralling, and overwhelming. The kind of love that captures one so completely and causes all else to fall away to trivial detail (the more dangerous of loves that is especially apt to involve the aggrandizement of the subject of ones affections--hence his flawless and alien description of the woman--a glorious mythical creature--the mermaid). The whole "love makes one blind" thing definitely applies here, though as the song ends, it might not have been an entirely bad thing and somehow worked out to benefit both parties (which seems to happen so rarely in this particular fashion of love)
In the first stanza, the narrator's attitude toward the mermaid (woman) is nearly contemptuous, oddly enough (obviously unmatched by the audible tone of Sheff's voice, which sounds close to remorseful). He seems most apathetic towards her and almost derisive or rude with the lines "..And there we’ll feel what’s human inside of her."Perhaps it's also a simple and objective curiosity but I'm inclined to think the former as he could be referring to any kind of emotional reaction from her (in response to her sudden captivity), as if she were a creature incapable of human reactions/feelings--he perceives her as different from himself- in the extreme--not human.
The second stanza refers to the woman exiting his life; his half-hearted attempt at catching something strange (without any real purpose) which happens to be this woman/mermaid has failed. "Chilly and slick", "sickening flick", "trashes" countered with "twirls", "freezing fins fluttering"--these descriptors emphasize her alienness as well as her beauty. As the woman leaves he begins to consider her as beautiful as stated in the third stanza. Obsession grows, love forms, etc.
The fourth stanza:
All farewells to the land we knew well
we’d never be touching again.
To the fields where we rambled and ran.
Farewell to our wives and children.
Let’s stand on the deck and let’s watch
them all disappearing.
This describes the narrators forgoing of a "normal life" driven by conventions or the organization of any priorities. He has devoted his life to a search for this woman/to the woman (mermaid)--become obsessed with her (in a non-psychotic way). The fifth stanza further supports this by describing how time has elapsed over the years of searching, of bearing his love for her alone but of course, without her to share it with.
The sixth stanza:
Until late some dark night, a wild wind starts to wail.
And our map blows away.
And our compasses fail.
And it’s out on the lost boiling black water
where I see her float out.
And she’s so thin and so pale. I see her rise up.
And she’s so fast and so fair. My hands meet,
and they press to a point in the air,
The narrator finds his love finally. They reunite after his long strung out quest that was near hopeless and approaching failure. (a second failure, if you count the first time he caught her.) This time he encounters her, he is overwhelmingly aware of her beauty and value, as at this meeting he is consumed by his love for her and no longer viewing her as completely alien but rather completely sublime.
The seventh stanza:
"but my mouth fills with more panic than prayer."
The "but" in this sentence is key. I'm not sure if it is meant to call attention to the disparity of what love should be and his obsessive love for her. Panic seems to be more selfish while prayer (though it could be selfish) is more selfless. Or to emphasize the contrast between tangible and intangible (panic: a concrete feeling, Prayer: a wish) Or both..
"And my skull fills with more color than care."
This line would support both the "altruistic love" vs "obsessive love" comparison and the "tangible/actual" vs. "intangible/fantasy" contrast.
The narrator is caught up entirely in the moment instead of living through his dream. The dream is realized and before him..it his his return to the present.
"And my heart fills with love, with too much love to bear."
"too much love to bear" could be a negative description though it doesn't have to be. Depends on how you want to interpret it.
"And I know that I’ll stay, and that she’ll always be there,
my hands sunk in cold sand,
sea-weed strung through her hair."
His dream has come true, his love is requited, etc. The relationship does seem kind of precarious though, perhaps because of the parallelism and because the success of their love is so miraculous.
The parallel is fairly simple but I felt like trying to clarify it if I could.
It could be that this song is really just the story of a sailor and his crew's desperate, life long search for a mermaid they once caught (whom one particular man fell in love with). However, I think it's incredibly analogous to a love that is almost obsessive, completely enthralling, and overwhelming. The kind of love that captures one so completely and causes all else to fall away to trivial detail (the more dangerous of loves that is especially apt to involve the aggrandizement of the subject of ones affections--hence his flawless and alien description of the woman--a glorious mythical creature--the mermaid). The whole "love makes one blind" thing definitely applies here, though as the song ends, it might not have been an entirely bad thing and somehow worked out to benefit both parties (which seems to happen so rarely in this particular fashion of love)
In the first stanza, the narrator's attitude toward the mermaid (woman) is nearly contemptuous, oddly enough (obviously unmatched by the audible tone of Sheff's voice, which sounds close to remorseful). He seems most apathetic towards her and almost derisive or rude with the lines "..And there we’ll feel what’s human inside of her."Perhaps it's also a simple and objective curiosity but I'm inclined to think the former as he could be referring to any kind of emotional reaction from her (in response to her sudden captivity), as if she were a creature incapable of human reactions/feelings--he perceives her as different from himself- in the extreme--not human.
The second stanza refers to the woman exiting his life; his half-hearted attempt at catching something strange (without any real purpose) which happens to be this woman/mermaid has failed. "Chilly and slick", "sickening flick", "trashes" countered with "twirls", "freezing fins fluttering"--these descriptors emphasize her alienness as well as her beauty. As the woman leaves he begins to consider her as beautiful as stated in the third stanza. Obsession grows, love forms, etc.
The fourth stanza:
All farewells to the land we knew well we’d never be touching again. To the fields where we rambled and ran. Farewell to our wives and children. Let’s stand on the deck and let’s watch them all disappearing.
This describes the narrators forgoing of a "normal life" driven by conventions or the organization of any priorities. He has devoted his life to a search for this woman/to the woman (mermaid)--become obsessed with her (in a non-psychotic way). The fifth stanza further supports this by describing how time has elapsed over the years of searching, of bearing his love for her alone but of course, without her to share it with.
The sixth stanza:
Until late some dark night, a wild wind starts to wail. And our map blows away. And our compasses fail. And it’s out on the lost boiling black water where I see her float out. And she’s so thin and so pale. I see her rise up. And she’s so fast and so fair. My hands meet, and they press to a point in the air,
The narrator finds his love finally. They reunite after his long strung out quest that was near hopeless and approaching failure. (a second failure, if you count the first time he caught her.) This time he encounters her, he is overwhelmingly aware of her beauty and value, as at this meeting he is consumed by his love for her and no longer viewing her as completely alien but rather completely sublime.
The seventh stanza:
"but my mouth fills with more panic than prayer." The "but" in this sentence is key. I'm not sure if it is meant to call attention to the disparity of what love should be and his obsessive love for her. Panic seems to be more selfish while prayer (though it could be selfish) is more selfless. Or to emphasize the contrast between tangible and intangible (panic: a concrete feeling, Prayer: a wish) Or both..
"And my skull fills with more color than care." This line would support both the "altruistic love" vs "obsessive love" comparison and the "tangible/actual" vs. "intangible/fantasy" contrast. The narrator is caught up entirely in the moment instead of living through his dream. The dream is realized and before him..it his his return to the present. "And my heart fills with love, with too much love to bear." "too much love to bear" could be a negative description though it doesn't have to be. Depends on how you want to interpret it.
"And I know that I’ll stay, and that she’ll always be there, my hands sunk in cold sand, sea-weed strung through her hair."
His dream has come true, his love is requited, etc. The relationship does seem kind of precarious though, perhaps because of the parallelism and because the success of their love is so miraculous.
The parallel is fairly simple but I felt like trying to clarify it if I could.