I've always thought the song was about a woman seduced and raped by her lover ("bloodstains on my tattered clothes"), perhaps by someone she knew or loved ("I remember loving you so much"). That the "memories" and "recollections" are hazy and unclear may signify she was drugged or drunk, or that she's trying to repress the memory, with only partial success. The idea of being drugged is especially strong in "did I encounter a darkness stronger than sleep"; or perhaps he beat her unconscious before or while violating her. Her talk about "is this my blood dried upon my face, or is it the love of someone else" seems to ask whether it was her blood or her lover's; if her lover's, then he raped her. The implication is that it is indeed her lover's ("It tastes so sweet just like you used to") She seems to hope some stranger raped her, as she hopes her love will rescue her. The difficult part is that Patton seems to imply that she secretly or guiltily liked it ("why does this pain feel so good" "how can I feel such love"); perhaps he is being darkly sarcastic.
I've always thought the song was about a woman seduced and raped by her lover ("bloodstains on my tattered clothes"), perhaps by someone she knew or loved ("I remember loving you so much"). That the "memories" and "recollections" are hazy and unclear may signify she was drugged or drunk, or that she's trying to repress the memory, with only partial success. The idea of being drugged is especially strong in "did I encounter a darkness stronger than sleep"; or perhaps he beat her unconscious before or while violating her. Her talk about "is this my blood dried upon my face, or is it the love of someone else" seems to ask whether it was her blood or her lover's; if her lover's, then he raped her. The implication is that it is indeed her lover's ("It tastes so sweet just like you used to") She seems to hope some stranger raped her, as she hopes her love will rescue her. The difficult part is that Patton seems to imply that she secretly or guiltily liked it ("why does this pain feel so good" "how can I feel such love"); perhaps he is being darkly sarcastic.