To me this song is about two young people who are forbidden to love each other for what ever reason.
{I waited by your bedside
And didn't close my eyes all night
I named you like a prayer}
This just show how much the narrator loves the “love interest” of the song. Narrator couldn’t allow themselves to close their eyes because love interest was there. Narrator named love interest like a prayer, therefore held them with high esteem and thought them very precious.
{It's anybody's guess how
The angel of doubt came down
And crept into your bed
But after we danced to the shipping forecast
The words escaped your mouth
"I know it's gotta stop love, but I don't know how"}
Love interest begins to feel doubtful of how long the relationship will last, they might even feel as though, perhaps, the relationship isn’t even worth the trouble. Love interest is keeping all their worries hushed. One day when though love interest voices their concerns, “I know it’s gotta stop, love, but I don’t know how.” This could mean, either that love interest doesn’t know how the relationship will end but is certain it will, and/or that love interest know the relationship should end but doesn’t know how to stop loving narrator.
{Now the stairs forget your shoes
And the gate don't creak for want of you}
I honestly have no idea what this means, lol.
{But the jury's out on me}
If they get caught narrator will be in a lot of trouble.
{We're wise beyond our years
But we're good at bad ideas, my love
Or so it seems to be}
The first line here implies that they both are young, as you wouldn’t say that an older person is wise beyond there years. Them dating is a “bad idea” or so people would seem to think.
{Shine a little light
Don't wrestle with the night
Don't think about the future now
I know it's gotta stop love but I don't know how}
Narrator is telling love interest to be more optimistic, to shine a light on the bad, stop worrying – tossing and turning in the night – so much, to stop focusing on the future. That just because it’s destine to end doesn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy the time they have together.
{My little one
My kettle drum}
These are just terms of endearment.
{My babel tongue
My come-undone}
Babel tongue implies a miscommunication. Perhaps narrator said something to someone that accidentally gave off the relationship, they came-undone and spilled the truth. Or maybe narrators just worried that this will happen. An other theory is that they both speak a different language and that the miscommunications between them will be their undoing.
{My prison kiss
My dying wish}
Every time narrator and love interest kiss they both know that it isn’t allowed, they’re breaking the rules. Narrators dying wish would be to kiss love interest one last time.
{I know I had a message at the start
But it up and abandoned us}
I haven’t a clue what this means…
{when we were sleeping in our beds}
They sleep in separate beds, which I think supports my theory of them being young and not allowed to be together.
{It's anybody's guess how the angel of doubt laid down
Sand beneath our house
I know it's gotta stop love, but I don't know how}
The first two lines imply, however, that they live in the same house. Now this “house” could possibly be a boarding school or something akin to one. Or it could mean that they are older now and living together – or even that they ran away to be together – finally away for the people who tried to keep them apart but after a while the doubt came back.
Again this is just my, personal, interpretation of the lyrics.
To me this song is about two young people who are forbidden to love each other for what ever reason.
{I waited by your bedside And didn't close my eyes all night I named you like a prayer} This just show how much the narrator loves the “love interest” of the song. Narrator couldn’t allow themselves to close their eyes because love interest was there. Narrator named love interest like a prayer, therefore held them with high esteem and thought them very precious.
{It's anybody's guess how The angel of doubt came down And crept into your bed But after we danced to the shipping forecast The words escaped your mouth "I know it's gotta stop love, but I don't know how"} Love interest begins to feel doubtful of how long the relationship will last, they might even feel as though, perhaps, the relationship isn’t even worth the trouble. Love interest is keeping all their worries hushed. One day when though love interest voices their concerns, “I know it’s gotta stop, love, but I don’t know how.” This could mean, either that love interest doesn’t know how the relationship will end but is certain it will, and/or that love interest know the relationship should end but doesn’t know how to stop loving narrator.
{Now the stairs forget your shoes And the gate don't creak for want of you} I honestly have no idea what this means, lol.
{But the jury's out on me} If they get caught narrator will be in a lot of trouble.
{We're wise beyond our years But we're good at bad ideas, my love Or so it seems to be} The first line here implies that they both are young, as you wouldn’t say that an older person is wise beyond there years. Them dating is a “bad idea” or so people would seem to think.
{Shine a little light Don't wrestle with the night Don't think about the future now I know it's gotta stop love but I don't know how} Narrator is telling love interest to be more optimistic, to shine a light on the bad, stop worrying – tossing and turning in the night – so much, to stop focusing on the future. That just because it’s destine to end doesn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy the time they have together.
{My little one My kettle drum} These are just terms of endearment.
{My babel tongue My come-undone} Babel tongue implies a miscommunication. Perhaps narrator said something to someone that accidentally gave off the relationship, they came-undone and spilled the truth. Or maybe narrators just worried that this will happen. An other theory is that they both speak a different language and that the miscommunications between them will be their undoing.
{My prison kiss My dying wish} Every time narrator and love interest kiss they both know that it isn’t allowed, they’re breaking the rules. Narrators dying wish would be to kiss love interest one last time.
{I know I had a message at the start But it up and abandoned us} I haven’t a clue what this means…
{when we were sleeping in our beds} They sleep in separate beds, which I think supports my theory of them being young and not allowed to be together.
{It's anybody's guess how the angel of doubt laid down Sand beneath our house I know it's gotta stop love, but I don't know how} The first two lines imply, however, that they live in the same house. Now this “house” could possibly be a boarding school or something akin to one. Or it could mean that they are older now and living together – or even that they ran away to be together – finally away for the people who tried to keep them apart but after a while the doubt came back.
Again this is just my, personal, interpretation of the lyrics.