I love the parallel structure of the song, and I believe any interpretation has to be based on that structure. Though the song doesn't really have verses, per se, it can easily be decomposed into two sections. From "Fall upon my brow" to "endless butterflies within escaping" makes up the first section, then the rest of the song is the second section, which strongly parallels the first section, with some notable changes (this is not a complete list of the differences between the two sections, but the ones I feel are important to the interpretation):
1) "Descending from the canopy of poison vapor" becomes "Descending from the everlasting curdling wonder"
Not sure of the exact interpretation here, but there's a definite change in mood between the two lines: the first line is distinctly negative, while the second has a notable positive tone (poison vapor // everlasting wonder)
2) "Your mind is tangled from its ever-thinking glory" becomes "Your mind untangled from its ever-thinking glory"
This has probably the clearest interpretation in the song. There's a struggle in the first section; something that's causing mental turmoil. In the second section, though, the mind has become untangled, and there is presumably peace of mind.
3) "Run your fingers through your bristling beard or hair" becomes "Run your fingers through my bristling beard and hair"
My favorite pair of lines in the song. Only two words changed, but the meaning changes entirely from first section to second. In the first, the speaker is talking to someone who is running his fingers through his own hair, which I think clearly means he's caught up in thinking about the issue that is the song's subject (as Eegabooga said, many people run their fingers through their hair while thinking intently). In the second section though (this is where I disagree with you, Eegabooga), the subject is running their fingers through the speaker's hair. When does one person run his/her fingers through another person's beard or hair? When they're in love.
Overall, how I interpret the song is that the speaker is a man who is in love with another man. The other man returns the affection, but is struggling with the idea of a homosexual relationship (likely from a religious hangup, because of the references to God). After the first section elapses, the second man reconciles himself with the idea of being gay, and the two have a happy relationship.
Of course, this isn't the only interpretation. At first I couldn't tell if the speaker and subject in the first and second sections are same. The subject in the first section and the speaker in the second section seem to be male (because of the references to beards). If the speaker and subject are the same in the two sections, it seems to me that it has to be one continuous story of a gay relationship. If they're different, my interpretation falls apart, and it seems that it might tell two different stories: one of a failed relationship, and the second of a successful one. The reason I think it's one continuous story, though, is the last important difference:
4) "And watch the endless butterflies within escaping" becomes "And watch the endless butterflies around returning"
To me, this is important because of the word "returning". It ties the two sections together, and implies that the sections come from the same story. After all, how can butterflies return unless they first escaped, as they did in the first section?
I love the parallel structure of the song, and I believe any interpretation has to be based on that structure. Though the song doesn't really have verses, per se, it can easily be decomposed into two sections. From "Fall upon my brow" to "endless butterflies within escaping" makes up the first section, then the rest of the song is the second section, which strongly parallels the first section, with some notable changes (this is not a complete list of the differences between the two sections, but the ones I feel are important to the interpretation):
1) "Descending from the canopy of poison vapor" becomes "Descending from the everlasting curdling wonder" Not sure of the exact interpretation here, but there's a definite change in mood between the two lines: the first line is distinctly negative, while the second has a notable positive tone (poison vapor // everlasting wonder)
2) "Your mind is tangled from its ever-thinking glory" becomes "Your mind untangled from its ever-thinking glory" This has probably the clearest interpretation in the song. There's a struggle in the first section; something that's causing mental turmoil. In the second section, though, the mind has become untangled, and there is presumably peace of mind.
3) "Run your fingers through your bristling beard or hair" becomes "Run your fingers through my bristling beard and hair" My favorite pair of lines in the song. Only two words changed, but the meaning changes entirely from first section to second. In the first, the speaker is talking to someone who is running his fingers through his own hair, which I think clearly means he's caught up in thinking about the issue that is the song's subject (as Eegabooga said, many people run their fingers through their hair while thinking intently). In the second section though (this is where I disagree with you, Eegabooga), the subject is running their fingers through the speaker's hair. When does one person run his/her fingers through another person's beard or hair? When they're in love.
Overall, how I interpret the song is that the speaker is a man who is in love with another man. The other man returns the affection, but is struggling with the idea of a homosexual relationship (likely from a religious hangup, because of the references to God). After the first section elapses, the second man reconciles himself with the idea of being gay, and the two have a happy relationship.
Of course, this isn't the only interpretation. At first I couldn't tell if the speaker and subject in the first and second sections are same. The subject in the first section and the speaker in the second section seem to be male (because of the references to beards). If the speaker and subject are the same in the two sections, it seems to me that it has to be one continuous story of a gay relationship. If they're different, my interpretation falls apart, and it seems that it might tell two different stories: one of a failed relationship, and the second of a successful one. The reason I think it's one continuous story, though, is the last important difference:
4) "And watch the endless butterflies within escaping" becomes "And watch the endless butterflies around returning" To me, this is important because of the word "returning". It ties the two sections together, and implies that the sections come from the same story. After all, how can butterflies return unless they first escaped, as they did in the first section?