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We're not the same, dear, as we used to be
The seasons have changed and so have we
There was little we could say, and even less we could do
To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you
We bury our love in the wintery grave
A lump in the snow was all that remained
But we stayed by its side as the days turned to weeks
And the ice kept getting thinner with every word that we'd speak
And when spring arrived
We were taken by surprise when the floes under our feet bled into the sea
And nothing was left for you and me
We're not the same, dear
And it seems to me
There's nowhere we can go
With nothing underneath
And it saddens me to say
But we both know, well, it's true
That the ice was getting thinner
Under me and you
The ice was getting thinner
Under me and you
The seasons have changed and so have we
There was little we could say, and even less we could do
To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you
We bury our love in the wintery grave
A lump in the snow was all that remained
But we stayed by its side as the days turned to weeks
And the ice kept getting thinner with every word that we'd speak
And when spring arrived
We were taken by surprise when the floes under our feet bled into the sea
And nothing was left for you and me
We're not the same, dear
And it seems to me
There's nowhere we can go
With nothing underneath
And it saddens me to say
But we both know, well, it's true
That the ice was getting thinner
Under me and you
The ice was getting thinner
Under me and you
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Our character is talking to Cath, realizing that they've changed as people. They abandon their love in the snow, but still cling onto it. But they hold on to long, for spring arrives and melts the ice beneath them, and everything collapses under their feet. And that is when they truly realize that they weren't meant to be, and that the ice was getting thinner under them the whole time. And sadly, this is where our story ends.
It's a sad and depressing story. It's a very dark album, but it's somehow compelling. Hopefully my interpretations were somewhat accurate. Hope you all enjoyed it!
A little over a month ago, I was going through a very tough time with one of my best friends. She is a girl, and I am a guy, and I started being too affectionate with her and made her very uncomfortable. So I told her I would stop, and I did, but things just weren't the same. We were so much more distant than we once were. So one night, we went to the drive-ins with a few other friends. I drove her there and back, and we listened to Narrow Stairs for the trip.
Even though we had fun at the drive-in, once we got in the car, we could both feel the tension. I would try to make small talk, but it just felt so different. We were nearing her house, and "The Ice is Getting Thinner" turned on. I was genuinely afraid to listen to this song, because I am almost felt like it would confirm what we both knew, that we were drifting further and further apart. We both sat in silence to the song, and it ended right when we got to her house.
For a week after that, we didn't talk once. But, I decided to text her and it was like nothing happened. We are just as close as ever, and I truly think that wouldn't be so without this song.
I also agree that it is the best ending to any of their albums.
"We're not the same, dear, as we used to be
The seasons have changed and so have we
There was little we could say and even less that we could do
To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you"
I think that it is talking about global warming and how times have changed. I also think when he talks about "there was little we could say" that we aren't doing enough to stop this from happening and we aren't caring.
OR
Their love is slipping away and they're losing their love 4 one another.
"When the spring arrived, we were taken by surprise
When the flows under our feet bled into the sea
And nothing was left for you and me"
To me, Ben is talking about how the ice caps have melted and therefore aided in flooding the land; "And nothing was left for you and me."