The Black Mill
Eternal Regrets: Something Bitter's Reflection on Life's Fragility
Lyrics
Back when you said your days were numbered
Reflecting on a past moment when the person mentioned that their time was limited.
So certain with death, but so unencumbered
Confident about facing death but without feeling burdened by it.
Oh, I've never felt so cold
Expressing an intense feeling of coldness, possibly emotional or metaphorical.
Too young to be so old
Feeling too young to be experiencing such emotional or existential heaviness.
What's left for me
Pondering about what is left for the speaker in the face of the person's departure.
If you're on your way out, who do I turn to now
Questioning who the speaker can turn to now that the person is leaving.
I realize how selfish that sentiment sits in your head
Acknowledging the selfishness in the realization and its presence in the mind.
And in my heart, as I watch your body fall apart
Watching the physical decline of the person and holding onto their essence.
I'll prop you up to be the man you always were to me
Supporting and preserving the person's identity despite their deteriorating condition.
I can't believe
Expressing disbelief, possibly at the challenging situation or impending loss.
We all settle for a God, in our wildest dreams
Commenting on the common human tendency to seek a higher power in dreams.
Who sits and punishes us, one and all, over nothing
Criticizing a punitive and arbitrary image of God that punishes without reason.
That breakdown isn't sin, no it's simple attrition
Rejecting the idea that a breakdown is a sin, considering it as a natural attrition.
and I won't see him again, so don't tell me there's something after
Expressing skepticism about encountering God after death and rejecting assurances.
If you're on your way out, who do I turn to now
Repeating the question of who to turn to, emphasizing the selfish nature of the notion.
I realize how selfish that notion is sits like a stone
Acknowledging the selfishness as a heavy and enduring presence within the heart.
Buried inside your heart, and I know someday I'll fall apart
Anticipating the speaker's eventual breakdown as they confront the person's departure.
As my vision blurs, my hearing dulls, and once again I return to the cold
Describing the physical and sensory effects of the anticipated emotional breakdown.
That's what you get
Stating that facing regrets is the consequence of one's choices throughout life.
A lifetime full of regrets
Emphasizing the inevitability of accumulating a lifetime of regrets.
That's what you get
Reiterating the expectation that the person's life will be forgotten by others.
A life they will all forget
Highlighting the potential insignificance of the person's life in the collective memory.
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