This song is beautiful and poignant and just because what I say may make the protagonist seem like a bad guy to some of you, that should not detract from it. It is really straight forward. It is about a couple and the guy falls out of love, then into love with another woman.It is one of those things that just happens and Lightfoot uses the analogy of a "dime store novel" or an old movie to describe the situation. Consider the part where he describes that there is just one actress then, "Enter Number two: a movie queen to play the scene while bringing all the good things out in me." He also draws a parallel between himself and the hero of a dime store novel saying, "When you reach the part when the hero comes, the hero would be me and heroes often fail," which means that he failed her by falling for someone else. He alludes to the fact that his first love will not take him back because it would be too painful: "And you won't read that book again because the ending just too hard to take." He explains that he does not understand why their feelings towards each other changed "the feelings gone and I just can't get it back." The song is about falling for someone else, not being able to help it and saying good bye to the old lover while trying to explain.
While the narrator may have eventually acquired "feelings" for other women (which may be what he is referring to in "I never thought I could act/feel that/this way".....I am not sure), that is not what caused this relationship to fail.
While the narrator may have eventually acquired "feelings" for other women (which may be what he is referring to in "I never thought I could act/feel that/this way".....I am not sure), that is not what caused this relationship to fail.
The most important and powerful words in the song are in the last verse:
The most important and powerful words in the song are in the last verse:
And if you read between the lines
You'll know that I'm just trying to understand
The feelings that YOU lack
And if you read between the lines
You'll know that I'm just trying to understand
The feelings that YOU lack
These lines are so powerful and personal that Lightfoot's (now grown up) children from this broken marriage have requested that he use the line "the feelings that WE lack" (which changes the true meaning of the song, IMO) when he now performs this in concert. Gordon has honored their request. What can you say, he is a great guy. Anyway, this passage is the song's biggest clue about what is going on here.
Your "movie queen is another woman" explanation almost works. But the narrator is the one who is "burned in a three way script". If the "movie queen" (number 2 in the script) was a mistress or another lover in waiting, then it would be the wife who was burned, not the narrator.
The correct explanation (which I learned from this forum....this passage always confused me before I discovered this forum) is that the 3 way script involves himself (#1), the woman he dated and married (#2- the movie queen), and the woman his wife became and now is (#3). The third verse is about informing his wife he is leaving and why, and she counter offers to be (or essentially pretends to be) the movie queen again to save the marriage.......and he says "but for now love, let's be real".......in other words, let's stop pretending, this will not work in the long run, you lost your feelings for me, it has taken a long time but I have accepted that, I have now lost my feelings for you, and now it is time for me to move on.
Below is a guide for some of the key metaphors in the song. With these metaphors understood, this enigmatic song becomes crystal clear
feelings- sexual interest
castle dark/fortress strong/chains upon my feet- having a strong libido, but allowing your sex life to be under the control of someone no longer interested in sex
hero- for the welfare of your children and out of respect for your wife, remaining faithful in a committed relationship with the wife through very challenging circumstances. The hero "fails" when he realizes he can no longer carry the burden of the circumstances.
So the failure in the relationship is due to incompatible libidos (which may have lead to another woman).
One thing is for sure.......Gordon Lightfoot (who was on the road quite a bit himself)has much more quality of character than Tiger Woods. Tiger could learn a lot from listening to Lightfoot's music.
Not real sure why some people are so determined that their own interpretation of a song is correct in the face of all others, but I would like to thank KittenThinks for sharing their view of this song. It is not one I considered before but I think it is a very appropriate interpretation for many situations.
Knowing Gordon Lightfoot's history does not mean you know why he wrote this song, or what he used for inspiration.
Continuing froM Kittens interpretation of the "movie Queen" verse, I propose that the #2 that enters is indeed another woman whom he thinks will...
Not real sure why some people are so determined that their own interpretation of a song is correct in the face of all others, but I would like to thank KittenThinks for sharing their view of this song. It is not one I considered before but I think it is a very appropriate interpretation for many situations.
Knowing Gordon Lightfoot's history does not mean you know why he wrote this song, or what he used for inspiration.
Continuing froM Kittens interpretation of the "movie Queen" verse, I propose that the #2 that enters is indeed another woman whom he thinks will love him the way he desires. She plays the scene of bringing all the good things out in him, however, it is only a scene and in the end, he realizes that she can never live up to the role she is trying to play. Thus, he is burned by thinking she will be better for him than #1 and by the time he realizes it, the relationship between he and #1 has been sufficiently damaged that both realize it cannot be repaired.
This song is beautiful and poignant and just because what I say may make the protagonist seem like a bad guy to some of you, that should not detract from it. It is really straight forward. It is about a couple and the guy falls out of love, then into love with another woman.It is one of those things that just happens and Lightfoot uses the analogy of a "dime store novel" or an old movie to describe the situation. Consider the part where he describes that there is just one actress then, "Enter Number two: a movie queen to play the scene while bringing all the good things out in me." He also draws a parallel between himself and the hero of a dime store novel saying, "When you reach the part when the hero comes, the hero would be me and heroes often fail," which means that he failed her by falling for someone else. He alludes to the fact that his first love will not take him back because it would be too painful: "And you won't read that book again because the ending just too hard to take." He explains that he does not understand why their feelings towards each other changed "the feelings gone and I just can't get it back." The song is about falling for someone else, not being able to help it and saying good bye to the old lover while trying to explain.
KittenThinks- you are close, but not quite.
KittenThinks- you are close, but not quite.
While the narrator may have eventually acquired "feelings" for other women (which may be what he is referring to in "I never thought I could act/feel that/this way".....I am not sure), that is not what caused this relationship to fail.
While the narrator may have eventually acquired "feelings" for other women (which may be what he is referring to in "I never thought I could act/feel that/this way".....I am not sure), that is not what caused this relationship to fail.
The most important and powerful words in the song are in the last verse:
The most important and powerful words in the song are in the last verse:
And if you read between the lines You'll know that I'm just trying to understand The feelings that YOU lack
And if you read between the lines You'll know that I'm just trying to understand The feelings that YOU lack
These lines are so powerful and personal that Lightfoot's (now grown up) children from this broken marriage have requested that he use the line "the feelings that WE lack" (which changes the true meaning of the song, IMO) when he now performs this in concert. Gordon has honored their request. What can you say, he is a great guy. Anyway, this passage is the song's biggest clue about what is going on here.
Your "movie queen is another woman" explanation almost works. But the narrator is the one who is "burned in a three way script". If the "movie queen" (number 2 in the script) was a mistress or another lover in waiting, then it would be the wife who was burned, not the narrator.
The correct explanation (which I learned from this forum....this passage always confused me before I discovered this forum) is that the 3 way script involves himself (#1), the woman he dated and married (#2- the movie queen), and the woman his wife became and now is (#3). The third verse is about informing his wife he is leaving and why, and she counter offers to be (or essentially pretends to be) the movie queen again to save the marriage.......and he says "but for now love, let's be real".......in other words, let's stop pretending, this will not work in the long run, you lost your feelings for me, it has taken a long time but I have accepted that, I have now lost my feelings for you, and now it is time for me to move on.
Below is a guide for some of the key metaphors in the song. With these metaphors understood, this enigmatic song becomes crystal clear
feelings- sexual interest
castle dark/fortress strong/chains upon my feet- having a strong libido, but allowing your sex life to be under the control of someone no longer interested in sex
hero- for the welfare of your children and out of respect for your wife, remaining faithful in a committed relationship with the wife through very challenging circumstances. The hero "fails" when he realizes he can no longer carry the burden of the circumstances.
So the failure in the relationship is due to incompatible libidos (which may have lead to another woman).
One thing is for sure.......Gordon Lightfoot (who was on the road quite a bit himself)has much more quality of character than Tiger Woods. Tiger could learn a lot from listening to Lightfoot's music.
Not real sure why some people are so determined that their own interpretation of a song is correct in the face of all others, but I would like to thank KittenThinks for sharing their view of this song. It is not one I considered before but I think it is a very appropriate interpretation for many situations. Knowing Gordon Lightfoot's history does not mean you know why he wrote this song, or what he used for inspiration. Continuing froM Kittens interpretation of the "movie Queen" verse, I propose that the #2 that enters is indeed another woman whom he thinks will...
Not real sure why some people are so determined that their own interpretation of a song is correct in the face of all others, but I would like to thank KittenThinks for sharing their view of this song. It is not one I considered before but I think it is a very appropriate interpretation for many situations. Knowing Gordon Lightfoot's history does not mean you know why he wrote this song, or what he used for inspiration. Continuing froM Kittens interpretation of the "movie Queen" verse, I propose that the #2 that enters is indeed another woman whom he thinks will love him the way he desires. She plays the scene of bringing all the good things out in him, however, it is only a scene and in the end, he realizes that she can never live up to the role she is trying to play. Thus, he is burned by thinking she will be better for him than #1 and by the time he realizes it, the relationship between he and #1 has been sufficiently damaged that both realize it cannot be repaired.