I think voodoodolly is essentially correct, but let me expand: I think the song is about George Kamen, a pychiatrist practicing in NY, to whom the album is dedicated to and to whom I would speculate the songwriter went to for therapy.
I think the first stanza describes speaker's funny problem of talking about a death with his therapist when the death is that of the therapist:
I wish that we could talk about it, But there, that's the problem
;and his belief that seeing a new therapist about this would be futile and unsatisfactory compared to the length and quality of his relationship with Mr. Kamen. Clearly, something beautiful has come to an end. I think the songwriter expresses his appreciation of the therapist and the therapeutic process (sometimes antagonistic) by saying,
The little things that made me nervous,
are gone, in a moment
I missed the way we used to argue,
Locked, in your basement.
I think voodoodolly is on target with second and third stanzas. I would add that the line
Your smaller than my wife imagined
Surprised, you were human
could also refer to diminutive,perhaps, dwarf-like, stature of the therapist as many, at least in my experience, are quite short. The line about the 'ring of silence' has a double meaning. First, the grief that numbs a person when someone passes away and it also, I believe , refers to the exclusive, private and unique relationship between Mr. Kamen and the speaker where things not uttered to others (including the previously mentioned wife) are shared. By virtue of Mr. Kamen's death this 'ring of silence' is sealed forever and the issues are no longer to be talked about in the previously unique format ("But what, are the options?").
The chorus "Someone great is gone", of course, refers to the speaker's attachment Mr. Kamen and his professional stature in his field (check his bio).
The last two lines are interesting:
We're safe, for the moment
Saved,
for the moment
I like to think it's an acknowledgement of death and perhaps, the healing nature and redemptive nature of therapy where the word 'moment' refers back to the word 'moment' in the first stanza.
But I could be overnalyzing ....
I think voodoodolly is essentially correct, but let me expand: I think the song is about George Kamen, a pychiatrist practicing in NY, to whom the album is dedicated to and to whom I would speculate the songwriter went to for therapy.
I think the first stanza describes speaker's funny problem of talking about a death with his therapist when the death is that of the therapist:
I wish that we could talk about it, But there, that's the problem
;and his belief that seeing a new therapist about this would be futile and unsatisfactory compared to the length and quality of his relationship with Mr. Kamen. Clearly, something beautiful has come to an end. I think the songwriter expresses his appreciation of the therapist and the therapeutic process (sometimes antagonistic) by saying,
The little things that made me nervous, are gone, in a moment I missed the way we used to argue, Locked, in your basement.
I think voodoodolly is on target with second and third stanzas. I would add that the line
Your smaller than my wife imagined Surprised, you were human
could also refer to diminutive,perhaps, dwarf-like, stature of the therapist as many, at least in my experience, are quite short. The line about the 'ring of silence' has a double meaning. First, the grief that numbs a person when someone passes away and it also, I believe , refers to the exclusive, private and unique relationship between Mr. Kamen and the speaker where things not uttered to others (including the previously mentioned wife) are shared. By virtue of Mr. Kamen's death this 'ring of silence' is sealed forever and the issues are no longer to be talked about in the previously unique format ("But what, are the options?").
The chorus "Someone great is gone", of course, refers to the speaker's attachment Mr. Kamen and his professional stature in his field (check his bio).
The last two lines are interesting: We're safe, for the moment Saved, for the moment
I like to think it's an acknowledgement of death and perhaps, the healing nature and redemptive nature of therapy where the word 'moment' refers back to the word 'moment' in the first stanza. But I could be overnalyzing ....