I interpret it as a song about a woman who desires control/manipulation over genuine connection in relationships and finds control/power in people's weaknesses/vices i.e. sex and drugs ("Road to ruin, no paper trail") and uses these vices to get people (especially men) to keep coming back.
I picture her herself being a user (mostly alcohol) and a lot of that using being centered on self-image and aging in particular ("Chug along, knock it off till you see that beauty's gone").
I think the line "It's been awhile, I'm made of ribbon" refers to not being intimate for a period and slightly forgetting how vulnerable it is.
The man in question turns out to be just as manipulative and cunning as the 'narrator' (unknown to him he's been caught), and it catches her off guard to realize she hasn't had the upper hand the entire time, as she has desired and she finds out (through sources other than him) he's simply entertaining her because he finds it amusing ("Well he needs me, like a royal fox, like he sorry's me"). The narrator ponders the multiple facades she puts up and how tiring it is to keep it up ("Several masks to last the year, makes life dance right out of me").
The last few parts refer to her starting to have genuine, romantic feelings for the man and how because of past hurt the idea of a healthy, mutually loving relationship seems like a fantasy of sorts and suppressing those emotions because they're unfamiliar ("It's too hard to dream, well fickle me, put it in the icebox then we'll see"). The very last verse describes her reverting to her old ways, gaining the upper hand in the end (despite it presenting no challenge in the grand scheme) and emotionally picking apart and destroying the man and revealing she's knows about him mutually toying with her ("Wasting time, you've been caught, bored unraveling knot for knot").
I think the title refers to a metaphorical 'dressing up' of someone's appearance through how they choose to present themselves through things like facial expressions and body language, the line "I'm dressed for space, now can I go?" referring to the narrator presenting herself as distant, mysterious and larger than life and desiring to stay that way instead of working on changing for the better for another person.
I interpret it as a song about a woman who desires control/manipulation over genuine connection in relationships and finds control/power in people's weaknesses/vices i.e. sex and drugs ("Road to ruin, no paper trail") and uses these vices to get people (especially men) to keep coming back.
I picture her herself being a user (mostly alcohol) and a lot of that using being centered on self-image and aging in particular ("Chug along, knock it off till you see that beauty's gone").
I think the line "It's been awhile, I'm made of ribbon" refers to not being intimate for a period and slightly forgetting how vulnerable it is.
The man in question turns out to be just as manipulative and cunning as the 'narrator' (unknown to him he's been caught), and it catches her off guard to realize she hasn't had the upper hand the entire time, as she has desired and she finds out (through sources other than him) he's simply entertaining her because he finds it amusing ("Well he needs me, like a royal fox, like he sorry's me"). The narrator ponders the multiple facades she puts up and how tiring it is to keep it up ("Several masks to last the year, makes life dance right out of me").
The last few parts refer to her starting to have genuine, romantic feelings for the man and how because of past hurt the idea of a healthy, mutually loving relationship seems like a fantasy of sorts and suppressing those emotions because they're unfamiliar ("It's too hard to dream, well fickle me, put it in the icebox then we'll see"). The very last verse describes her reverting to her old ways, gaining the upper hand in the end (despite it presenting no challenge in the grand scheme) and emotionally picking apart and destroying the man and revealing she's knows about him mutually toying with her ("Wasting time, you've been caught, bored unraveling knot for knot").
I think the title refers to a metaphorical 'dressing up' of someone's appearance through how they choose to present themselves through things like facial expressions and body language, the line "I'm dressed for space, now can I go?" referring to the narrator presenting herself as distant, mysterious and larger than life and desiring to stay that way instead of working on changing for the better for another person.