Always loved this song. I saw it as a song about a guy in a working class, gossipy and highly judgemental community having a crush on a beautiful girl from a poor, dysfunctional family who are looked down on by the community. My personal interpretation of the lyrics:
We're in love let's be together, happy times or heavy weather, Mother says today's a special day...so let's not fight okay?
(Born into dysfunction. The girl's parents rushing into a bad, turbulent marriage. Even in the hospital room, on the day the girl's born her father is picking a fight while the new mother is trying to placate him).
When you were at school you were a honey, The boys all loved you, you loved their money, the boys would stare, you'd cross your legs
And then you'd toss your hair...
(She grows up to be beautiful. He had a crush on her as did most of the boys, His perception was that she was well aware of her looks and was a tease. He also viewed her as materialistic...not an unusual perception for men to have of beautiful women. It comes through that he's a product of the gossipy environment they both lived in and as inclined to make judgements about her as anybody else. Despite having a crush on her, or maybe even more so because of his crush).
Money's scarce, but family honor brings it home brings it home. And down the shop, the tongues they snicker, tv dinners, beer and liquor... oh yeah.
(She's from a poor family, but they don't live on social security benefits. Probably both parents work - hence the tv dinners, because mum doesn't have time nor energy to cook meals. There's a lot of stress & likely alcohol problems at home. Local gossips - the tongues that snicker - make judgements about the family based on what them habitually buying tv dinners and booze).
Skeletons fall out of cupboards, curtains drawn fall open to allow the light shows up the dust that plays around your face
(There's a sense of secrecy & family dysfunction surrounding this girl. In later times, social services would probably get involved...but during the time this song was written there'd be lots of local gossip about the family without anybody actually stepping in to help. The narrator romanticises her, and her plight. This is a girl who provokes lust and gossip. The narrator forms opinions based on watching her & listening to gossip about her. I think he forms a bit of a friendship with her and that she doesn't reciprocate his feelings...but discloses difficult things to him. He's half listening and half admiring her physical beauty and the poetry of the sunlight showing dust dancing around her face).
Innocence and lies don't make a perfect match, leave your door unlatched
I know a word can be untrue And yet still move you
(I take two possible meanings from this. The less dark one is that he's not buying her innocent demeanor & is urging her to leave her bedroom door unlatched for him. The darker meaning is that child abuse is one of the dark secrets in this girl's family and that "leave your door unlatched" is a regular order from her father. Bear in mind this song came out at a time when people society was still in the early stages of talking about child abuse within families and was a very taboo subject.
A vulnerable child can be easily exploited. The "I know a word can be untrue and yet still move you" could be sympathetic, or it could be the observation of a predator peddling lies in order to get what he wants from this girl I lean towards the narrator being sympathetic, but limited in his understanding of this girl because his only complicated feelings get in the way & he seems to see her in a pretty one dimensional way, very influenced by gossip he's heard about her.
The video that comes with the song gives the narrator a darker, more predatory aspect).
All the time they bring their friends 'round Dress you up, show you up
And all the time they told you it was true Well I'll believe you now But then I just don't know I Think I have to reconsider, yeah
(This could be a dark reference to parental friends being involved in the abuse, but it could just be that this girl has gone through life being valued purely on the basis of her looks. I think he has a friendship with her & had a romantic sense of wanting to rescue her from a dysfunctional family & neighbourhood gossips...but ultimately it's too messy for him to get really involved in.)
I know when she got married She looked fine in white and lacy frills
Oh yeah, she had a baby It was painful, it was worth it
(His crush on her is ultimately very shallow. He's a bit sarcastic and dismissive about her going down the traditional marriage route. Childbirth is out of his realm of knowledge, so he acknowledges that with the "painful but worth it/you quickly forget the pain" comment women commonly make to other people about their experiences of childbirth).
And all the time they stuck the knife in Pulled it up and twist it around
(I think again, this is about the local gossips who have always provided an eagle eyed observant, sometimes jealous, often gossipy but not supportive community. Ultimately whatever problems she's encountered, she's had to deal with them alone...but has somehow always managed. While the narrator perhaps sees himself as sympathetic, I think he's very much part of that sticks the knife in. That neither of them have been able to break free of it).
Always loved this song. I saw it as a song about a guy in a working class, gossipy and highly judgemental community having a crush on a beautiful girl from a poor, dysfunctional family who are looked down on by the community. My personal interpretation of the lyrics:
We're in love let's be together, happy times or heavy weather, Mother says today's a special day...so let's not fight okay?
(Born into dysfunction. The girl's parents rushing into a bad, turbulent marriage. Even in the hospital room, on the day the girl's born her father is picking a fight while the new mother is trying to placate him).
When you were at school you were a honey, The boys all loved you, you loved their money, the boys would stare, you'd cross your legs And then you'd toss your hair...
(She grows up to be beautiful. He had a crush on her as did most of the boys, His perception was that she was well aware of her looks and was a tease. He also viewed her as materialistic...not an unusual perception for men to have of beautiful women. It comes through that he's a product of the gossipy environment they both lived in and as inclined to make judgements about her as anybody else. Despite having a crush on her, or maybe even more so because of his crush).
Money's scarce, but family honor brings it home brings it home. And down the shop, the tongues they snicker, tv dinners, beer and liquor... oh yeah.
(She's from a poor family, but they don't live on social security benefits. Probably both parents work - hence the tv dinners, because mum doesn't have time nor energy to cook meals. There's a lot of stress & likely alcohol problems at home. Local gossips - the tongues that snicker - make judgements about the family based on what them habitually buying tv dinners and booze).
Skeletons fall out of cupboards, curtains drawn fall open to allow the light shows up the dust that plays around your face
(There's a sense of secrecy & family dysfunction surrounding this girl. In later times, social services would probably get involved...but during the time this song was written there'd be lots of local gossip about the family without anybody actually stepping in to help. The narrator romanticises her, and her plight. This is a girl who provokes lust and gossip. The narrator forms opinions based on watching her & listening to gossip about her. I think he forms a bit of a friendship with her and that she doesn't reciprocate his feelings...but discloses difficult things to him. He's half listening and half admiring her physical beauty and the poetry of the sunlight showing dust dancing around her face).
Innocence and lies don't make a perfect match, leave your door unlatched I know a word can be untrue And yet still move you
(I take two possible meanings from this. The less dark one is that he's not buying her innocent demeanor & is urging her to leave her bedroom door unlatched for him. The darker meaning is that child abuse is one of the dark secrets in this girl's family and that "leave your door unlatched" is a regular order from her father. Bear in mind this song came out at a time when people society was still in the early stages of talking about child abuse within families and was a very taboo subject.
A vulnerable child can be easily exploited. The "I know a word can be untrue and yet still move you" could be sympathetic, or it could be the observation of a predator peddling lies in order to get what he wants from this girl I lean towards the narrator being sympathetic, but limited in his understanding of this girl because his only complicated feelings get in the way & he seems to see her in a pretty one dimensional way, very influenced by gossip he's heard about her. The video that comes with the song gives the narrator a darker, more predatory aspect).
All the time they bring their friends 'round Dress you up, show you up And all the time they told you it was true Well I'll believe you now But then I just don't know I Think I have to reconsider, yeah
(This could be a dark reference to parental friends being involved in the abuse, but it could just be that this girl has gone through life being valued purely on the basis of her looks. I think he has a friendship with her & had a romantic sense of wanting to rescue her from a dysfunctional family & neighbourhood gossips...but ultimately it's too messy for him to get really involved in.)
I know when she got married She looked fine in white and lacy frills Oh yeah, she had a baby It was painful, it was worth it
(His crush on her is ultimately very shallow. He's a bit sarcastic and dismissive about her going down the traditional marriage route. Childbirth is out of his realm of knowledge, so he acknowledges that with the "painful but worth it/you quickly forget the pain" comment women commonly make to other people about their experiences of childbirth).
And all the time they stuck the knife in Pulled it up and twist it around
(I think again, this is about the local gossips who have always provided an eagle eyed observant, sometimes jealous, often gossipy but not supportive community. Ultimately whatever problems she's encountered, she's had to deal with them alone...but has somehow always managed. While the narrator perhaps sees himself as sympathetic, I think he's very much part of that sticks the knife in. That neither of them have been able to break free of it).