Partner in Crime
Yearning Echoes: Seeking a Partner in the Dance of Life
Lyrics
It happened in the summer, not so very long ago.
Setting the scene, recounting a past event that occurred in the summer.
It was so warm and humid Elsie would go down to the old wood and pray for
Describing Elsie's actions in the warm and humid weather, praying for the wind in an old wood.
the wind to come.
Highlighting Elsie's desire for the wind to come during her prayers.
She had a friend who swore you could evoke the angels simply by prayer.
Introduction of Elsie's friend and her belief in invoking angels through prayer.
She said “There are angels for every desire but you must believe, you have
Elaborating on the friend's belief in angels corresponding to desires and the importance of belief.
to believe.”
Emphasizing the necessity of belief in the process of invoking angels.
So by the time the sun was buried along with the stale air a plan had
Transitioning to the formation of a clear plan in Elsie's mind as the sun sets.
formed very clearly in her mind.
Describing Elsie's loneliness and the crystallization of a plan during her prayers.
She was a lonely girl of around twenty or so, and as she knelt down to pray
Highlighting Elsie's age and solitude as she prays in the old wood.
in the old wood under the town, her heart would beg and plead:
Expressing Elsie's heartfelt plea for a partner in crime during her prayers.
I desire a partner in crime
Repetition of Elsie's desire for a partner in crime and her exhaustion from endless crying.
I’ve grown tired of endless crying
-I desire a partner in crime
-I’ve grown tired of endless crying
-Crying for nothing
Describing the cause of Elsie's crying as "nothing."
And the roses hung their weary heads like people do when they are heavy
Using roses as a metaphor for people with bowed heads, symbolizing heaviness and hopelessness.
and without hope. The seasons passed January, February under the trees
Mentioning the passage of time and the changing seasons under the trees.
and there were tulips amongst the firs. Elsie was twenty-three twenty-four
Noting Elsie's aging as tulips bloom amongst the firs.
twenty-five and the underpass was dark and dense with light at the seams
Describing a dark underpass with light at the seams, hinting at a promise in the wind.
where the trees were broken and the branches were reaching out for they
Depicting broken trees and reaching branches witnessing Elsie's prayers.
had witnessed her prayers, and there was promise in the wind, a promise
Highlighting a promise of better things in the wind.
of better things.
Repetition of Elsie's desire for a partner in crime and her weariness from endless crying.
I desire a partner in crime
-I’ve grown tired of endless crying
-I desire a partner in crime
-I’ve grown tired of endless crying
-Crying for nothing
-The years flowed on and on like the wine that celebrated marriages of
Comparing the flow of years to wine celebrating marriages, emphasizing the passage of time.
friends and sisters. Elsie began to think that even if her wish
Expressing Elsie's doubt about sacrificing a familiar but lonely and sad life even if her wish comes true.
materialized she could not sacrifice a life that was so familiar: Lonely,
Describing Elsie's life with an almost religious quality.
sad with an almost religious quality.
Reflecting on Elsie's reluctance to change her life despite its sadness.
She remembered times spent in the old wood deep in prayer. Aching,
Recalling Elsie's past prayers, aching and begging, and the disappearance of her friend.
begging – thinking her heart might burst. Her friend had moved away
-unannounced. She’d disappeared. There was no belief. And longer and
-longer there was less to give. Less love to give. Of course there’d been
-lovers but nothing close to what she’d hoped for. Before she’d felt electricity
-swelling in her palms – but not now. Limp and hopeless life continued but
-it wasn’t really living. All she’d ever dreamed wished and yearned for had
Expressing the current state of Elsie's life as limp and hopeless.
been stolen and shot down:
Conveying the loss of Elsie's dreams, wishes, and yearnings.
And the sky it echoed a warning
Describing warnings from the sky and the call of eternity, possibly representing lost opportunities and unfulfilled desires.
And eternity was calling
-And the sky it echoed a warning
-And eternity was calling
-Calling for nothing
Emphasizing the emptiness of the calls for nothing.
Comment