I interpret this song to be the voice of a woman who comes to see she has been following a script. As the result of this realization, she gains a fresh perspective and appreciation of the possibilities for herself and her relationships.
Ellie and her boyfriend are like star-crossed partners, reincarnated after dying in a car wreck--suicide or accident--in 1986. As others have pointed out Ellie was born December 30, 1986. "Stripped to the waist" could mean that the past life lovers did not fully consummate their relationship before dying ("falling into the river") or it could allude to efforts to save their lives after the wreck--emergency workers having stripped them to the waist so they could revive their hearts.
Ellie and her boyfriend, in their current lives, did not want to know the truth about their past. As a result they were repeating the same destructive patterns that led to the accident or suicide in the first place; their relationship was based on obsession or karma rather than choice. When they found out they were freed to go in another direction, with or without each other ("anything could happen")
"After the war we said we'd fight together." This is another example of playing a role based on the past. Even though the war is over, they will continue fighting because that is what they know. Because of their determination to cling to the familiar, their worlds become dark and their vision muddied ("we let the darkness grow, as if we needed its palette and we needed its color"). But Ellie breaks free, so that "anything could happen."
"Baby I'll give everything you need...but I don't think I need you." When a boyfriend promises to meet all her needs, she realizes those needs are rooted in the past and are no longer relevant. She is willing to let go, which is why she does not need him. In the video of this song, Elie leaves his corpse on the beach.
I interpret this song to be the voice of a woman who comes to see she has been following a script. As the result of this realization, she gains a fresh perspective and appreciation of the possibilities for herself and her relationships.
Ellie and her boyfriend are like star-crossed partners, reincarnated after dying in a car wreck--suicide or accident--in 1986. As others have pointed out Ellie was born December 30, 1986. "Stripped to the waist" could mean that the past life lovers did not fully consummate their relationship before dying ("falling into the river") or it could allude to efforts to save their lives after the wreck--emergency workers having stripped them to the waist so they could revive their hearts.
Ellie and her boyfriend, in their current lives, did not want to know the truth about their past. As a result they were repeating the same destructive patterns that led to the accident or suicide in the first place; their relationship was based on obsession or karma rather than choice. When they found out they were freed to go in another direction, with or without each other ("anything could happen")
"After the war we said we'd fight together." This is another example of playing a role based on the past. Even though the war is over, they will continue fighting because that is what they know. Because of their determination to cling to the familiar, their worlds become dark and their vision muddied ("we let the darkness grow, as if we needed its palette and we needed its color"). But Ellie breaks free, so that "anything could happen."
"Baby I'll give everything you need...but I don't think I need you." When a boyfriend promises to meet all her needs, she realizes those needs are rooted in the past and are no longer relevant. She is willing to let go, which is why she does not need him. In the video of this song, Elie leaves his corpse on the beach.