I hear this as the singer asking for a past lover to take them back. They recognize the mistakes they made, have bettered themselves since and just want them to see the changes. For me, the line "as a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn" is a metaphor about how they are throwing themselves at their lover's mercy, opened themselves up and are now vulnerable in a way they wouldn't allow themself to be in the past. It is an absolutely deep and beautiful plea.
I hear this as the singer asking for a past lover to take them back. They recognize the mistakes they made, have bettered themselves since and just want them to see the changes. For me, the line "as a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn" is a metaphor about how they are throwing themselves at their lover's mercy, opened themselves up and are now vulnerable in a way they wouldn't allow themself to be in the past. It is an absolutely deep and beautiful plea.