"Twenty-five carved with a butter knife
On the palm of my new hand, it's out"
echoing the beginning of the song, revealing what his birthday present to her in his hand was
(Today you're twenty-five, I made you something fine
It's in the palm of my new hand, it's out)
imply he has carved her age into his hand for her. I think the fact that he carves into his hand - a pretty permenant and serious action - something as obviously changing and momentary a thing as AGE I think shows his inability to let go of the past. He doesn't permenantly carve something like her name- something that would be more permenant, but something that will change in just a year... He wants to keep hold (literally haha) of something that will inevitably change and will definitely no longer be true soon, which is the same as the fact that although the relationship is over it's changed, he wants it forever. He clings onto the past.. OR EVEN he doesn't believe in the past - he almost doesn't really believe her age will change, not if he does carves it into his hand and makes it permanent, in the same way he doesn't believe the relationship has ended (or ever will) if he keeps it alive to himself, even if that means stalking her, etc. He also treats the gesture as a birthday present to her. Maybe he thinks him not letting go of the past, trying to hold on to this stuff is a dedication to her, that by stalking her and not letting go, he is doing it for her, as a kind gesture.
I guess it's up to the person reading which analysis is more relevant, I think it kinda works being a combination of all of them, that he just can't really face reality or change and he is putting her up there as a goddess (are you a young female messiah?) almost with a kind of shrine to her, and what he thinks are nice gestures... engraving her into himself to MAKE it real, to make it/her stay (despite the end that will and has already happened)
No one has mentioned this yet but the lines
"Twenty-five carved with a butter knife On the palm of my new hand, it's out"
echoing the beginning of the song, revealing what his birthday present to her in his hand was (Today you're twenty-five, I made you something fine It's in the palm of my new hand, it's out) imply he has carved her age into his hand for her. I think the fact that he carves into his hand - a pretty permenant and serious action - something as obviously changing and momentary a thing as AGE I think shows his inability to let go of the past. He doesn't permenantly carve something like her name- something that would be more permenant, but something that will change in just a year... He wants to keep hold (literally haha) of something that will inevitably change and will definitely no longer be true soon, which is the same as the fact that although the relationship is over it's changed, he wants it forever. He clings onto the past.. OR EVEN he doesn't believe in the past - he almost doesn't really believe her age will change, not if he does carves it into his hand and makes it permanent, in the same way he doesn't believe the relationship has ended (or ever will) if he keeps it alive to himself, even if that means stalking her, etc. He also treats the gesture as a birthday present to her. Maybe he thinks him not letting go of the past, trying to hold on to this stuff is a dedication to her, that by stalking her and not letting go, he is doing it for her, as a kind gesture.
I guess it's up to the person reading which analysis is more relevant, I think it kinda works being a combination of all of them, that he just can't really face reality or change and he is putting her up there as a goddess (are you a young female messiah?) almost with a kind of shrine to her, and what he thinks are nice gestures... engraving her into himself to MAKE it real, to make it/her stay (despite the end that will and has already happened)
beautiful song!!