This is just my thoughts on the song's meaning. Please feel free to reply and say anything :)
“A man is placed upon the steps, a baby cries”
(someone has died and he is put in a place where is has to ascend <ie: being placed upon the steps, he has to start climbing>. People he is going to leave behind are crying and are called by this song “baby” because earthly life is just the infancy stage of living. We continue to grow even after our death and our life here on earth is just a passing moment in our entirety)
“And high above him you hear the church bells start to ring.”
(something higher is ringing. It signals something like when the church bells ring to signal the end of a ceremony and the beginning of another one: a new cycle has begun)
“The heaviness, the heaviness of it settles in,”
(the heaviness of the narrator is emphasized as if saying it once is not enough. The narrator is starting to see the how much he/she has lost once the everything has “settled” and has been accounted for)
“A mother starts to sing.”
(i think this might the man’s mother, or mother, being the source of creation, another unearthly being beckoning the man to come up by means of singing to him, or singing might be a form of rejoicing at the reunion with the “mother”)
“Then it's one foot then the other as you step along the road
Steppin' on the road, how much weight, how much weight?”
(this might be the experience the narrator is feeling having been left the “man” he/she starts to go on with baby steps (... one foot then the other...) still feeling the “weight” of the loss. yet the narrator is asking “how much weight, how much weight?” as if he/she is not able to fathom the gravity. Maybe that is why the narrator used “Then it’s one foot then the other as you step along the road” giving the imagery of someone walking carrying something heavy taking one step at a time.)
“And it's how long and how far and how many times,
Oh, before it's too late?”
(the narrator is wondering “how long” he/she has to journey before he/she can make it through. “How many times” does he/she has to try again to recover from this loss. Or is it too late? Will he/she wander forever unsure what to make out of this “new life he/she has without the “man”... more on the “unsure” part in the chorus)
“Calling all angels, calling all angels.
Walk me through this one, don't leave me alone.”
(The narrator is summoning help from angels as if because not one man can help out the narrator with his/her ordeal)
“Calling all angels, calling all angels.
We're trying, we're hoping, but we're not sure how”
(trying to cope but is uncertain if the way he/she is coping is the right way)
“Oh and every day you gaze upon the sunset
With such love and intensity.”
(sunset means it’s the end of the day likewise it may mean the end of a cycle. The narrator may be talking about appreciating the fleeting beauty of the present seeing it in its full circle, for its entirety just when it is about to end)
“Why it's almost as if, if you could only crack the code
You'd finally understand what this all means.”
(once you’ve seen life for what it is, you could see what everything happening is for and about: the meaning of life. the narrator sees the light of his/her suffering.)
“Oh but if you could, do you think you would
Have traded all the pain and suffering?”
(But the narrator has been so deeply immersed in “pain and suffering” that he/she is addicted to it. All the drama and crying has been her catharsis. It must have been an outlet for her. Or maybe there might be some other unhealthy outlet that he/she has been using but now she sees that the addiction must be given up in order to “move on” and be better. He/she cries for help from everyone except herself. Will he/she move or will he/she stay in the glum that he/she has been used to?)
“Oh, but then you would've missed the beauty of the light upon this earth
And the sweetness of the leaving.”
(the narrator is weighing things out. Will she leave the beauty of repetition of the security of the familiar and start anew?)
Calling all angels, calling all angels!
Walk me through this one, don't leave me alone
Calling all angels, calling all angels,
We're trying, we're hoping but we're not sure
Calling all angels (call all angels)
Calling all angels (call all angels)
Walk me through this one
Don't leave me alone.
Calling all angels, calling all angels
We're trying, we're hoping, we're hurting, we're loving
We're crying, we're calling,
But we're not sure how this goes.
This is just my thoughts on the song's meaning. Please feel free to reply and say anything :)
“A man is placed upon the steps, a baby cries” (someone has died and he is put in a place where is has to ascend <ie: being placed upon the steps, he has to start climbing>. People he is going to leave behind are crying and are called by this song “baby” because earthly life is just the infancy stage of living. We continue to grow even after our death and our life here on earth is just a passing moment in our entirety)
“And high above him you hear the church bells start to ring.” (something higher is ringing. It signals something like when the church bells ring to signal the end of a ceremony and the beginning of another one: a new cycle has begun)
“The heaviness, the heaviness of it settles in,” (the heaviness of the narrator is emphasized as if saying it once is not enough. The narrator is starting to see the how much he/she has lost once the everything has “settled” and has been accounted for)
“A mother starts to sing.” (i think this might the man’s mother, or mother, being the source of creation, another unearthly being beckoning the man to come up by means of singing to him, or singing might be a form of rejoicing at the reunion with the “mother”)
“Then it's one foot then the other as you step along the road Steppin' on the road, how much weight, how much weight?” (this might be the experience the narrator is feeling having been left the “man” he/she starts to go on with baby steps (... one foot then the other...) still feeling the “weight” of the loss. yet the narrator is asking “how much weight, how much weight?” as if he/she is not able to fathom the gravity. Maybe that is why the narrator used “Then it’s one foot then the other as you step along the road” giving the imagery of someone walking carrying something heavy taking one step at a time.)
“And it's how long and how far and how many times, Oh, before it's too late?” (the narrator is wondering “how long” he/she has to journey before he/she can make it through. “How many times” does he/she has to try again to recover from this loss. Or is it too late? Will he/she wander forever unsure what to make out of this “new life he/she has without the “man”... more on the “unsure” part in the chorus)
“Calling all angels, calling all angels. Walk me through this one, don't leave me alone.” (The narrator is summoning help from angels as if because not one man can help out the narrator with his/her ordeal) “Calling all angels, calling all angels. We're trying, we're hoping, but we're not sure how” (trying to cope but is uncertain if the way he/she is coping is the right way)
“Oh and every day you gaze upon the sunset With such love and intensity.” (sunset means it’s the end of the day likewise it may mean the end of a cycle. The narrator may be talking about appreciating the fleeting beauty of the present seeing it in its full circle, for its entirety just when it is about to end) “Why it's almost as if, if you could only crack the code You'd finally understand what this all means.” (once you’ve seen life for what it is, you could see what everything happening is for and about: the meaning of life. the narrator sees the light of his/her suffering.)
“Oh but if you could, do you think you would Have traded all the pain and suffering?” (But the narrator has been so deeply immersed in “pain and suffering” that he/she is addicted to it. All the drama and crying has been her catharsis. It must have been an outlet for her. Or maybe there might be some other unhealthy outlet that he/she has been using but now she sees that the addiction must be given up in order to “move on” and be better. He/she cries for help from everyone except herself. Will he/she move or will he/she stay in the glum that he/she has been used to?)
“Oh, but then you would've missed the beauty of the light upon this earth And the sweetness of the leaving.” (the narrator is weighing things out. Will she leave the beauty of repetition of the security of the familiar and start anew?)
Calling all angels, calling all angels! Walk me through this one, don't leave me alone Calling all angels, calling all angels, We're trying, we're hoping but we're not sure
Calling all angels (call all angels) Calling all angels (call all angels) Walk me through this one Don't leave me alone.
Calling all angels, calling all angels We're trying, we're hoping, we're hurting, we're loving We're crying, we're calling, But we're not sure how this goes.