TVtropes about this song: "Tim Ferrell's sister commented on a video with this: 'This song is about when our dad passed away. Its not about vampires or werewolfs or boyfriends or bandmemebers dying. Its about when our dad first got sick with MG (myasthenia gravis) and how we dealt with it.'"
Therefore my interpretation is that...
In the first stanza the one answering questions is Tim's sister, Kelly. She's talking about her father (her "beau"), trying to dismiss the fact he's unwell ("he's not feeling well, but he's alright). She's keeping herself in the dark, in the sense that she's trying to feel safe ("I'll be fine") not accepting her father is dying.
In the second stanza, the one answering the questions is the father. He openly mentions his "sickness" and that he "couldn't swallow", which is a symptom of MG. He's worried about his daughter (his "belle"), and all he wants is for her to be happy ("Can you help her? Can you make the time?". He asks the one speaking if they can help her, because his daugther is to him more important than himself ("Just don't worry 'bout me").
In the third stanza, the one asking the question is the father, and the one answering is Tim. He's with the band, doing music "shows" and "tryin' to beat the heat" (Ludo are from St. Louis, which is hot and humid during summer). The father asks his son when he'll be home, but the son doesn't want to go home where his father his dying ("Not sure I can make it back for weeks"). Although he's acknwoledged his father's sickness, he's keeping himself in the dark too, in a way.
Everyone is trying to deal with their sadness, to manage their daily life even if it's sad. Ultimately, everyone is trying to feel safe in the dark. I think although the song is quite explicit in some verses (e.g. citation of sickness, difficulty swallowing, Kelly), you can still interpret this your own way. It's always a sorrowful song, though, and that makes me sad.
TVtropes about this song: "Tim Ferrell's sister commented on a video with this: 'This song is about when our dad passed away. Its not about vampires or werewolfs or boyfriends or bandmemebers dying. Its about when our dad first got sick with MG (myasthenia gravis) and how we dealt with it.'"
Therefore my interpretation is that...
In the first stanza the one answering questions is Tim's sister, Kelly. She's talking about her father (her "beau"), trying to dismiss the fact he's unwell ("he's not feeling well, but he's alright). She's keeping herself in the dark, in the sense that she's trying to feel safe ("I'll be fine") not accepting her father is dying.
In the second stanza, the one answering the questions is the father. He openly mentions his "sickness" and that he "couldn't swallow", which is a symptom of MG. He's worried about his daughter (his "belle"), and all he wants is for her to be happy ("Can you help her? Can you make the time?". He asks the one speaking if they can help her, because his daugther is to him more important than himself ("Just don't worry 'bout me").
In the third stanza, the one asking the question is the father, and the one answering is Tim. He's with the band, doing music "shows" and "tryin' to beat the heat" (Ludo are from St. Louis, which is hot and humid during summer). The father asks his son when he'll be home, but the son doesn't want to go home where his father his dying ("Not sure I can make it back for weeks"). Although he's acknwoledged his father's sickness, he's keeping himself in the dark too, in a way.
Everyone is trying to deal with their sadness, to manage their daily life even if it's sad. Ultimately, everyone is trying to feel safe in the dark. I think although the song is quite explicit in some verses (e.g. citation of sickness, difficulty swallowing, Kelly), you can still interpret this your own way. It's always a sorrowful song, though, and that makes me sad.