This is one of my favourite songs of all time. The dark tune and slightly haunting melody stirs certain emotions that are alien to me. I can somewhat relate to what I believe (according to my interpretation) to be the meaning of the song. This is my interpretation:
This song is about an emotionally fragile, insecure older woman/girl who might be attracted to young man she doesn't really care about. She probably doesn't think (due to society imposed norms) that dating younger man is acceptable or normal and so prefers do to everything "undercover".
The first stanza :
That boy: (just that boy, no name, just that one)= She might be indifferent to him
TAKE ME away into the NIGHT: She LET's him take control, but wants to go somewhere dark (night).
Out of the hum of the streets light into a FOREST: She emphasise that she doesn't want light or noise of familiarity and wants to go to a forest (isolation).
I'll do whatever you say to me in the DARK: She's willing to do anything as long as it's in the dark (invisibility).
Scared I'll be torn apart by a wolf in MASK / A familiar name on a birthday card: She doesn't trust the familiar.
Blow out all the candles, blow out all the candles: She wants anonymity, invisibility and wants to be away from anything that might make her visible (recurrent theme of the song).
"You're too old to be so shy": This is clue the BOY might be significantly younger than her. That this line convinces her, it tells us that she's either indifferent or just insecure.
Like we're in a crime scene: She doesn't think this is legal or good. She likens the bedroom with this young boy to a crime scene.
Well I have brittle bones it seems
I bite my tongue and I torch my dreams
Have a little voice to speak with
And a mind of thoughts and secrecy
These lines confirms that she's fragile and can't stand firmly on things. She has "brittle bone".
She can't convince people (little voice). She's thoughtful and has lots of secrets.
Things cannot be reversed, we learn from the times we are cursed
That things cannot be reversed, learn from the ones we fear the worst
And learn from the ones we hate the most, how to
Blow out all the candles
These lines suggests she's made some mistakes in life. Further it suggests that she believes to be curse and fears that those she fears the worst might be right and these might be the one she hates most too. They've taught her to keep a low profile. To hide. It may confirm that she cares a lot about what others think and she don't want to upset them with her "affair" with a younger person.
At this point she's beginning to be more confident and begins to accept the fate of relationship. She's also very crudely honest now.
Cause we both know I'll never be your lover
I only bring the heat
Company under covers
Filling space in your sheets
Well I'll never be your lover
I only bring the heat
Company under cover
Filling space in your sheets, in your sheets
In these lines she admits that nothing could possibly come of this and therefore the "relationship" should only exist undercover (like his blankets). She has no other role in this affair and feels like she's the disadvantaged one. I bring the heat. I feel the spaces.
So, please just blow out all the candles
Here she sounds a little defeated and I can imagine tears rolling as she says the line above and a little upset.
I believe this is the kind of insecurity typical of someone who may have had some bad relationships with people her own age/status/etc and found someone who, judging by the lack of his opinions on the song except for the "don't be so shy" part, might not offer her anything meaningful and she just wants to have some intimate physical contact with him. She sounds a little resigned too.
This is one of my favourite songs of all time. The dark tune and slightly haunting melody stirs certain emotions that are alien to me. I can somewhat relate to what I believe (according to my interpretation) to be the meaning of the song. This is my interpretation: This song is about an emotionally fragile, insecure older woman/girl who might be attracted to young man she doesn't really care about. She probably doesn't think (due to society imposed norms) that dating younger man is acceptable or normal and so prefers do to everything "undercover". The first stanza : That boy: (just that boy, no name, just that one)= She might be indifferent to him TAKE ME away into the NIGHT: She LET's him take control, but wants to go somewhere dark (night). Out of the hum of the streets light into a FOREST: She emphasise that she doesn't want light or noise of familiarity and wants to go to a forest (isolation). I'll do whatever you say to me in the DARK: She's willing to do anything as long as it's in the dark (invisibility). Scared I'll be torn apart by a wolf in MASK / A familiar name on a birthday card: She doesn't trust the familiar. Blow out all the candles, blow out all the candles: She wants anonymity, invisibility and wants to be away from anything that might make her visible (recurrent theme of the song). "You're too old to be so shy": This is clue the BOY might be significantly younger than her. That this line convinces her, it tells us that she's either indifferent or just insecure. Like we're in a crime scene: She doesn't think this is legal or good. She likens the bedroom with this young boy to a crime scene.
Well I have brittle bones it seems I bite my tongue and I torch my dreams Have a little voice to speak with And a mind of thoughts and secrecy
These lines confirms that she's fragile and can't stand firmly on things. She has "brittle bone". She can't convince people (little voice). She's thoughtful and has lots of secrets.
Things cannot be reversed, we learn from the times we are cursed That things cannot be reversed, learn from the ones we fear the worst And learn from the ones we hate the most, how to Blow out all the candles
These lines suggests she's made some mistakes in life. Further it suggests that she believes to be curse and fears that those she fears the worst might be right and these might be the one she hates most too. They've taught her to keep a low profile. To hide. It may confirm that she cares a lot about what others think and she don't want to upset them with her "affair" with a younger person.
At this point she's beginning to be more confident and begins to accept the fate of relationship. She's also very crudely honest now.
Cause we both know I'll never be your lover I only bring the heat Company under covers Filling space in your sheets Well I'll never be your lover I only bring the heat Company under cover Filling space in your sheets, in your sheets
In these lines she admits that nothing could possibly come of this and therefore the "relationship" should only exist undercover (like his blankets). She has no other role in this affair and feels like she's the disadvantaged one. I bring the heat. I feel the spaces.
So, please just blow out all the candles
Here she sounds a little defeated and I can imagine tears rolling as she says the line above and a little upset.
I believe this is the kind of insecurity typical of someone who may have had some bad relationships with people her own age/status/etc and found someone who, judging by the lack of his opinions on the song except for the "don't be so shy" part, might not offer her anything meaningful and she just wants to have some intimate physical contact with him. She sounds a little resigned too.