I see this more as a song about alienation - a loss of meaning - and a weariness with existence. The line between reality and abstraction is being blurred by daily life in our highly artificial world, hence the references to "numbers", echoed by the synthetic, almost random/computer-generated theme melody (that is haunting with Emily's voice and the rest of the arrangement).. Even human relationships- passion- is muted, confused - weighed down by existence in this dizzying world.
The poet wishes, briefly and in my view, half-heartedly, for a simpler, more obviously meaningful life - and for the passion to be real, and shared. But because it can't be, it's given up sadly as "for the best". To me, this is more profound than just unrequited love between two particular people- to me it's saying that the poet at this moment feels that it isn't really possible between any two people.
As to the beautiful last verse - especially the last line - "Tonight your ghost will ask my ghost - who put these bodies between us?" - to me it is the spirit's yearning for transcendence - for a true communion of spirit between two people - and acknowledgement that it is, at least at this moment and in this life, impossible - almost absurd - and yet still something that we must seek out to be fulfilled.
Don't get me wrong here- this has nothing to do with religion in my view, though it is about our spirit or essence. It has to do with our human search for meaning and for "communion" among us as human beings, and how wearying it can be to not find it and to be constantly distracted by the mechanics of life in our dizzying, complex and highly abstracted modern existence.
I see this more as a song about alienation - a loss of meaning - and a weariness with existence. The line between reality and abstraction is being blurred by daily life in our highly artificial world, hence the references to "numbers", echoed by the synthetic, almost random/computer-generated theme melody (that is haunting with Emily's voice and the rest of the arrangement).. Even human relationships- passion- is muted, confused - weighed down by existence in this dizzying world.
The poet wishes, briefly and in my view, half-heartedly, for a simpler, more obviously meaningful life - and for the passion to be real, and shared. But because it can't be, it's given up sadly as "for the best". To me, this is more profound than just unrequited love between two particular people- to me it's saying that the poet at this moment feels that it isn't really possible between any two people.
As to the beautiful last verse - especially the last line - "Tonight your ghost will ask my ghost - who put these bodies between us?" - to me it is the spirit's yearning for transcendence - for a true communion of spirit between two people - and acknowledgement that it is, at least at this moment and in this life, impossible - almost absurd - and yet still something that we must seek out to be fulfilled.
Don't get me wrong here- this has nothing to do with religion in my view, though it is about our spirit or essence. It has to do with our human search for meaning and for "communion" among us as human beings, and how wearying it can be to not find it and to be constantly distracted by the mechanics of life in our dizzying, complex and highly abstracted modern existence.
@moltenmeta Excellent explanation
@moltenmeta Excellent explanation