With certain artists, it is crucial to give the entire album a listen to get a feel for what the meaning behind an elusively lyrical song is. When I heard "Firewood" earlier in "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats," I got a feeling that the story being told through these songs ran deeper than Regina Spektor's pseudo-upbeat projections. It definitely hinted that Regina (or maybe someone from the "small town in her mind") was in denial about the terminal illness (likely cancer-- due to the fact that there is often some palpable hope of recovery in terms of remission) of a close friend or family member. Lyrics like "rise from your cold hospital bed/ you're not dying/ everyone knows you're going to live/ so you might as well start trying" suggested anger towards the ill, which is an early stage of grief. By the time I heard "Jessica," which was the very last song on the album (showing the importance of it in relation to the story being told throughout Regina's lyrics) I knew that its length was so short because it was answering the questions that "Firewood" left me, as a listener, with.
In short, "Jessica" is clearly about a deceased family member or friend who passed due to a terminal illness that she had long enough for others to witness a change in energy levels (i.e. "rise from your cold hospital bed") and yet still at a young age (i.e. "we must get older now"). I strongly doubt that depression (or suicide) was the main cause of death, but it could have played a part in the last stages of Jessica's life (depression, that is).
With certain artists, it is crucial to give the entire album a listen to get a feel for what the meaning behind an elusively lyrical song is. When I heard "Firewood" earlier in "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats," I got a feeling that the story being told through these songs ran deeper than Regina Spektor's pseudo-upbeat projections. It definitely hinted that Regina (or maybe someone from the "small town in her mind") was in denial about the terminal illness (likely cancer-- due to the fact that there is often some palpable hope of recovery in terms of remission) of a close friend or family member. Lyrics like "rise from your cold hospital bed/ you're not dying/ everyone knows you're going to live/ so you might as well start trying" suggested anger towards the ill, which is an early stage of grief. By the time I heard "Jessica," which was the very last song on the album (showing the importance of it in relation to the story being told throughout Regina's lyrics) I knew that its length was so short because it was answering the questions that "Firewood" left me, as a listener, with. In short, "Jessica" is clearly about a deceased family member or friend who passed due to a terminal illness that she had long enough for others to witness a change in energy levels (i.e. "rise from your cold hospital bed") and yet still at a young age (i.e. "we must get older now"). I strongly doubt that depression (or suicide) was the main cause of death, but it could have played a part in the last stages of Jessica's life (depression, that is).