I don't read the prostitute/stalker interpretation people are throwing around. It's easy to take the literal interpretations of Mangum songs, but rarely are they right IMO.
I've always read this as a back and forth in one man's mind about a woman named Naomi. He loves her, but his love is not returned which leads him to grapple with dual feelings of love and hatred towards her.
Part 1:
Your prettiness is seeping through
Out from the dress I took from you, so pretty
And my emptiness is swollen shut always
Always a wretch I have become
So empty
Please don't leave me
Clearly he has a deep love for Naomi, whether or not he is a "stalker" and stole her dress. That's beside the point, he is able to look at something she's worn and experience the full warmth of her before he realizes the love he feels for her is unreturned, leading him to feel empty and wretched for simply loving a piece of her (the dress).
Part 2:
I'm watching Naomi, full bloom
I'm hoping she will soon explode
Into one billion tastes and tunes
One billion angels come and hold her down
They hold her down until she cries
This second part is my favorite because of all the different interpretations one can draw. This man wants to experience Naomi fully, with all of her billion unique "tastes and tunes". Then there's a shift toward what I draw to be his realization again that Naomi doesn't reciprocate his love, so he can only imagine that angels will come and "hold her down" ie, bring them together.
Part 3:
I'm tasting Naomi's perfume
It tastes like shit and I must say
She comes and goes most afternoons
One billion lovers wave and love her now
They could love her now and so could I
Now he's lamenting Naomi's apparent indifference toward him, stating that her perfume is like "shit" and that she comes and goes as she pleases, unattached and without love toward the narrator. But yet he still realizes that he loves her and regardless of her current apathy towards him, he's willing to forgive her of her past if only she would love him now.
Part 4:
There is no Naomi in view
She walks through Cambridge stocks and strolls
And if she only really knew
One billion angels could come and save her soul
They could save her soul until she shines
So pretty
Please don't leave me
Finally, the narrator sees no more of Naomi. There seems to be some resignation in the lines, in that he understands Naomi doesn't love him but he only wishes she knew something more than the relationships she has. And he just wants her to know that she could be saved from her world if she'd only let the angels he wished for earlier come and bring her to him.
Really beautiful song, but a somewhat depressing interpretation by me.
Anyway, JMO. Feel free to critique it. I've listened to enough Mangum/NMH to feel comfortable saying no interpretation is complete or simple.
I don't read the prostitute/stalker interpretation people are throwing around. It's easy to take the literal interpretations of Mangum songs, but rarely are they right IMO.
I've always read this as a back and forth in one man's mind about a woman named Naomi. He loves her, but his love is not returned which leads him to grapple with dual feelings of love and hatred towards her.
Part 1: Your prettiness is seeping through Out from the dress I took from you, so pretty And my emptiness is swollen shut always Always a wretch I have become So empty Please don't leave me
Clearly he has a deep love for Naomi, whether or not he is a "stalker" and stole her dress. That's beside the point, he is able to look at something she's worn and experience the full warmth of her before he realizes the love he feels for her is unreturned, leading him to feel empty and wretched for simply loving a piece of her (the dress).
Part 2: I'm watching Naomi, full bloom I'm hoping she will soon explode Into one billion tastes and tunes One billion angels come and hold her down They hold her down until she cries
This second part is my favorite because of all the different interpretations one can draw. This man wants to experience Naomi fully, with all of her billion unique "tastes and tunes". Then there's a shift toward what I draw to be his realization again that Naomi doesn't reciprocate his love, so he can only imagine that angels will come and "hold her down" ie, bring them together.
Part 3: I'm tasting Naomi's perfume It tastes like shit and I must say She comes and goes most afternoons One billion lovers wave and love her now They could love her now and so could I
Now he's lamenting Naomi's apparent indifference toward him, stating that her perfume is like "shit" and that she comes and goes as she pleases, unattached and without love toward the narrator. But yet he still realizes that he loves her and regardless of her current apathy towards him, he's willing to forgive her of her past if only she would love him now.
Part 4: There is no Naomi in view She walks through Cambridge stocks and strolls And if she only really knew One billion angels could come and save her soul They could save her soul until she shines So pretty Please don't leave me
Finally, the narrator sees no more of Naomi. There seems to be some resignation in the lines, in that he understands Naomi doesn't love him but he only wishes she knew something more than the relationships she has. And he just wants her to know that she could be saved from her world if she'd only let the angels he wished for earlier come and bring her to him.
Really beautiful song, but a somewhat depressing interpretation by me. Anyway, JMO. Feel free to critique it. I've listened to enough Mangum/NMH to feel comfortable saying no interpretation is complete or simple.