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You're not doing it this alone
You're not doing,
You're not doing this alone
For my sweetheart the melancholic, you have crossed the river Styx
And the waves have taken you away
As I lay my head on your chest, I can hear it your veins
Wake me up when you come to bed
[Chorus]
So toughen up
Biko toughen up
Biko toughen up
This world isn't kind to little things
Was my love strong enough to bring you back from the dead
If I could eat your cancer I would but I can't
So I keep writing these songs for you
To steal you from your gray
And we can dance in our front room again
So toughen up
Biko toughen up
Biko toughen up
I need you be strong for us
[Chorus]
Don't you know that when you stand you stand up for the both of us
Remember that when the darkness looms
Every tear you shed is cleansing, taking the pain away from you
I left you blueberries in the fridge, the little things that I can do
You're not doing this alone
Resist
You're not doing,
You're not doing this alone
For my sweetheart the melancholic, you have crossed the river Styx
And the waves have taken you away
As I lay my head on your chest, I can hear it your veins
Wake me up when you come to bed
[Chorus]
So toughen up
Biko toughen up
Biko toughen up
This world isn't kind to little things
Was my love strong enough to bring you back from the dead
If I could eat your cancer I would but I can't
So I keep writing these songs for you
To steal you from your gray
And we can dance in our front room again
So toughen up
Biko toughen up
Biko toughen up
I need you be strong for us
[Chorus]
Don't you know that when you stand you stand up for the both of us
Remember that when the darkness looms
Every tear you shed is cleansing, taking the pain away from you
I left you blueberries in the fridge, the little things that I can do
You're not doing this alone
Resist
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"For my sweetheart the melancholic
You have crossed the River Styx
And the waves have taken you away"
The person in question is dead, they have crossed the river styx, they have been taken away.
Now, I believe the next verse begins a flashback, to when the person is first diagnosed with, presumably, cancer. He can't see the physical manifestation of the illness but "I can hear it in your veins", he knows it is there, inside here.
"You're not doing this alone" repeated throughout the verse implies he is very close to 'Biko', possibly romantically attached.
I don't like the "eat your cancer" line. yes it is graphic, but it is too candid, it just shoves cancer in your face, which to me, seems crude.
"I left you blueberries in the fridge, the little things..." Again, very powerful imagery. It shows the desperation of trying miracle cures like anti-oxidant rich blueberries, coupled with the helplessness he feels because, really, its just a "little thing" that he can do.
"resist" seems obvious, and the repetition shows a sense of urgency towards the end of the song as the flashback is drawing to its conclusion (Biko's death).
The line "when you stand up, you stand up for the both of us" is again very powerful. It is saying, if you cant do it for yourself, at least try for me. It isn't just yourself that you are fighting for, fight for me, just so I can have one more day with you. Again, this view is backed up by the constant "toughen up", the "resist" at the end, and the general tone of the song.
Its just a sad, sad song, and for me, it is this bands very best.
From Heart Shaped Box:
She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks
I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black
So I keep writing these songs for you
To steal you from your grey
And we can dance in our front room again
So 'grave' is actually 'grey' and 'a front row' is 'our front room' :)
but then again, the official lyrics also has 'Was my love strong enough to bring you back from the dead' without the 'not' so maybe it isn't entirely correct.. which is totally ironic considering they wrote the lyrics! But i think it is definitely 'grey' and 'front room'
Source: blocparty.com/…
I'm unsure as to what the "resist" and all are..?
It seems like it could be written while she was alive or after she died. it speaks as though she is there and can still be saved, yet the lyrics say that he is writing it to steal her from her grave meaning she must already be dead. tricky.
In a sense, could be saying that the world as a whole doesn't care about their relationship and the little, kind things that you do for the people you love, like leave them their favourite food in the fridge.
When coupled with the idea that the other person is dying or depressed, it suggests a sense of despondency; the narrator cares so much about the other person, but sort of no-one else does. You know?
"For my sweetheart the melancholic
You have crossed the River Styx
And the waves have taken you away"
= losing the person to depression, to their misery and despair, the nothingness.
"Every tear you shed is cleansing
Taking the pain away from you
I left you blueberries in the fridge
The little thing that I can do"
Doing little things to try and give moments of happiness (also, leaving something that will encourage biko to eat, since loss of appetite is also a common symptom of depression)
Worth noting is that cancer and related terms are often used to describe depression (for example, Lewis Walpert's Malignant Sadness: The Anatomy of Depression). The sense of it being something that grows inside, that it disappears, but may come back at any time.
Wanting the person to toughen up so the world stops hurting them, trying to remind them that they're not alone, trying to help them pull through when the darkness comes...
It fits in with Kele's past, Bloc Party's other songs and honestly, it fits so well with that I know of watching someone you love go through that.
im from Poland, and i havent got that word in dictionary (traditional and online)
Long term illness, pain, etc. leave one depressed and it's difficult to continue fighting. This person is beginning to give up and he's not letting it happen. "To my sweetheart the melancholy. You have crossed The River Styx." Also, someone who's been sick for awhile tends to push others away - especially those in chronic pain. Yet, the isolation can degrade one's will and the depression worsens. He's not letting this person let go or withdraw.
"I won't let you do this alone"
As for the blueberries, they contain an astounding amount of antioxidants. In cancer and numerous chronic illnesses, a nutritionist/immunologist may suggest a diet rich in antioxidants in addition to western medicine.
He's asking someone dear to him to keep fighting and not to with-hold pain. "Every tear you shed is cleansing, taking the pain away from you."
And although he can't do much more than be there and leave blueberries in the fridge, he's writing him/her songs, forcing this person to see that (s)he can lean on him and to not lose hope. "You stand up for the both of us
Remember that when the darkness looms ... We can dance in a front row again"
At any rate, I play this song on repeat. It makes me feel less alone.
Never lose hope.
1) "You're not doing this alone."
2)"We can dance in our front room again"