I also think it is about death and the afterlife. "It's a strange paradise" and "you'll be waiting" hint at a mysterious, unexpected afterlife where people you hardly knew will be waiting for you, and that contradicts what people usually think about Heaven (that loved ones and family will be there to greet us). But it's not a bad thing...I think the song reminds us that we all have it coming, but we're all in it together so it won't be so bad after we die.
"The cat knows the call"....I think it's a clever play on the phrase "cat call." In this song I think its normal meaning is subverted into meaning only cats can understand the mystery of life and death. The "fair child rising" refers to the fair soul of a girl you hardly knew (Irene?) ascending to paradise, and you're waiting to greet her.
I also think it is about death and the afterlife. "It's a strange paradise" and "you'll be waiting" hint at a mysterious, unexpected afterlife where people you hardly knew will be waiting for you, and that contradicts what people usually think about Heaven (that loved ones and family will be there to greet us). But it's not a bad thing...I think the song reminds us that we all have it coming, but we're all in it together so it won't be so bad after we die.
"The cat knows the call"....I think it's a clever play on the phrase "cat call." In this song I think its normal meaning is subverted into meaning only cats can understand the mystery of life and death. The "fair child rising" refers to the fair soul of a girl you hardly knew (Irene?) ascending to paradise, and you're waiting to greet her.