God, this song BREAKS my heart. This song seems really happy and victorious, but the story in the lyrics is anything but. To understand a lot of Gossamer, you need to recognize that one of the essential truths of Michael Angelakos is that he has bipolar disorder.
In this song I hear: a) manic episode b) realizing how awful you are being to your loved ones and c) dangerous self delusion about being able to handle your problems on your own
I base this interpretation on this quote:
"Everyone was telling her, 'Why are you with this guy?' At a certain point, she realized, 'Wait, Michael hasn't seen his doctors in a while, he's fucking manic.' If she had left me, there is no question that I would have killed myself. I don't remember anything I did-- which is terrifying, because now I have to live with this guilt." (http://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/8893-rite-of-passion/)
So the song may say "I'll be alright if you leave" but the singer WILL NOT BE ALRIGHT. It's amazing and so, so sad.
So this song for me is about where you are mentally just before you realize how much you need other people, even if you hurt them, and that in the end they get to chose whether you are worth it
God, this song BREAKS my heart. This song seems really happy and victorious, but the story in the lyrics is anything but. To understand a lot of Gossamer, you need to recognize that one of the essential truths of Michael Angelakos is that he has bipolar disorder.
In this song I hear: a) manic episode b) realizing how awful you are being to your loved ones and c) dangerous self delusion about being able to handle your problems on your own
I base this interpretation on this quote:
"Everyone was telling her, 'Why are you with this guy?' At a certain point, she realized, 'Wait, Michael hasn't seen his doctors in a while, he's fucking manic.' If she had left me, there is no question that I would have killed myself. I don't remember anything I did-- which is terrifying, because now I have to live with this guilt." (http://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/8893-rite-of-passion/)
So the song may say "I'll be alright if you leave" but the singer WILL NOT BE ALRIGHT. It's amazing and so, so sad.
So this song for me is about where you are mentally just before you realize how much you need other people, even if you hurt them, and that in the end they get to chose whether you are worth it