I think the meaning is fairly obvious, while still extremely poetic. It seems to me that he's describing the exact moment of walking in and seeing a loved one after they've taken their own life. Throughout the song he describes everything he observes in that moment in crippling detail. Honestly this song hits me in a huge way, it's so beautiful how he captures that moment.
"A still life is the last I will see of you, a painting of a panic attack" is one of the greatest lines.
But to break it down further:
The first verse is describing the look of the body on the ground and the crushing silence surrounding it.
On the second verse: "White noise, I don't know if there's breathing or not" - Describes the disbelief felt in that moment, where you can't come to terms with what you're seeing.
"Butterflied arms tell me that this one has flown" - describes slowly coming to terms with it and the grief setting in.
"A painting of a panic attack" seems to describe that frozen image of a suicide.
"You died in your sleep last night, you died in my sleep last night" - makes me think that the events in this song didn't actually happen, and instead it was a vivid dream the writer had about losing a loved one. It could also be talking about how the whole event didn't feel real, and the whole time he was going through what felt like a dream due to the shock.
"Death dreams I don't forget, it's been awhile since I dreamed this, but even now when I dream I'll tread with care" - seems to confirm my thoughts on the last section, about it not being real, but just a vivid dream.
I think the meaning is fairly obvious, while still extremely poetic. It seems to me that he's describing the exact moment of walking in and seeing a loved one after they've taken their own life. Throughout the song he describes everything he observes in that moment in crippling detail. Honestly this song hits me in a huge way, it's so beautiful how he captures that moment.
"A still life is the last I will see of you, a painting of a panic attack" is one of the greatest lines.
But to break it down further: The first verse is describing the look of the body on the ground and the crushing silence surrounding it.
On the second verse: "White noise, I don't know if there's breathing or not" - Describes the disbelief felt in that moment, where you can't come to terms with what you're seeing. "Butterflied arms tell me that this one has flown" - describes slowly coming to terms with it and the grief setting in. "A painting of a panic attack" seems to describe that frozen image of a suicide.
"You died in your sleep last night, you died in my sleep last night" - makes me think that the events in this song didn't actually happen, and instead it was a vivid dream the writer had about losing a loved one. It could also be talking about how the whole event didn't feel real, and the whole time he was going through what felt like a dream due to the shock.
"Death dreams I don't forget, it's been awhile since I dreamed this, but even now when I dream I'll tread with care" - seems to confirm my thoughts on the last section, about it not being real, but just a vivid dream.
Honestly, such an insanely beautiful song.