The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #44604   Message #656832
Posted By: CapriUni
24-Feb-02 - 12:52 PM
Thread Name: Lines that really grab you
Subject: RE: Lines that really grab you
Non-Trad:

"If I have weaknesses
Don't let them blind me
Or camouflage all I am wary of
I could be sailing in seizures of laughter
Or crawling out from under the heel of love"

Rhythm of the Saints words and music by Paul Simon

Trad:

"And the willow tree it may twist
And the willow tree it may twine
I would I were clasped in my lover's arms fast
For tis he who has stolen my Thyme
"

(Full song in the DT here).

Somewhere, I learned that in flower symbolism, thyme represented virginity and strength, and that if someone fell out of love with their sweetheart, they would let them know by handing them a sprig of willow. So, here, it seems, the singer is lamenting that her lover got what he wanted from her and left. I love these lines because they are an elegant illustration how the mind works and how memories are triggered, especially when we're hurting.