Marbles - By The Amazing Devil: A Lyrical Analysis
 Forewarning: Before we start this analysis, I just want to tell you all that this song first made me smile, then made me laugh right out loud (on a public bus) and then it smashed my heart into a thousand sharp broken pieces. Once I realized what it was actually about, I broke down and cried openly â Now when I listen to it, I feel all of those emotions all at once, and that hurts.
 This song tells a story about loss and love, but so very much more than that.
 Itâs about meeting someone and spending a lifetime loving them only to lose them slowly as agonizing, fading fragments of their mind slip away. Itâs about celebrating the memories that you have built together, of shared jokes and fond mistakes, as those same memories gradually fall away.  Itâs holding each other tight as dementia steals away the other half of your soul, but still having hope in the darkness.Â
This song reminds us of everything love should be, and one day when I am old and my memories are fading, I can only hope that someone pulls me just as close and tells me that there is hope.Â
  Iâve held your hand since nineteen seventy-nine
You were in a band - still amâ
-â
yeah but backâ
then you had hair and yourâ
smile was so sublime
And I chipped my teeth on everyâjokeâyouâcracked
 The song starts with a cheerful tone; a conversation between an old couple, who have been together for 40 years, as they recount the story of their life together. He was young and âsublimeâ and she fancied him for his full head of hair and pretty smile. You can hear the bantering, overlapping flow of their conversation that comes from their intimacy. They talk of supporting each other, of jokes, and music, and years passing by. She laughed so hard at his jokes she âchipped her teethâ each time (figuratively speaking).
 You used toâbuy me scotchâ- still do - yeah but now too much is never enough
To take me back to that dance hall where you got thrown out cos they thought you were drunk -I wasnât -
You couldnât lie then and you sure as hell canât lie to me now
 The conversation soon sees them move back into specific memories; a night at a âdance hallâ where he bought her scotch (still does) and then got kicked out because they âthought you were drunkâ, which she charmingly calls him on âcanât lie to me nowâ. This is illustrative of their shared history, laughing over stories from long ago, and habits that even now continue (buying her scotch). It shows how close they still are, how they can read each otherâs lies, know the truth of each other and still come out amused.
 You stole the best years of my life
And youâre the thigh-high hemline I just canât stop staring at
 Theyâre teasing each other (âyou got fatâ), then expressing their appreciation for each other (youâre the thigh-high hemline I just canât stop staring at). Back and forth they recount what they mean to each other, the good and the bad that comes with years of intimacy.
Your eyes arenât rivers there to weep
But a place for crows to rest their feet
 This stanza, for the first tie, they sing together. Their voices pulling together as age and time weary them and create wrinkles around their eyes (crows feet). But instead of sadness they âwait and hopeâ, reassuring each other that their trauma is shared, and not to âweepâ.
And rest my head at night content
Knowing where my marbles went
 They repeat together that they âwill wait and hopeâ the repetition serving to reinforce their determination stay strong together. The third line is a play on the clichĂ© âIâm losing my marblesâ which alludes to dementia and age-related memory loss, this is the first time the audience realizes what the song is about, their loss. But, in changing it to âknowing where my marbles wentâ, they reassure each other that their memories arenât lost, theyâre carried by the other.
 The flat we rented was a palace for my queen
If by palace you mean that asbestos and beans from a tin, and the gin that we brewed in the bathtub
You sang âdo you think Iâm sexyâ And oh god I really did
 Their story continues in this stanza. They share with us a glimpse into their humble lives. They live in an unsafe apartment (asbestos) that they rented, where they scraped by on simple meals (beans) and brewed their own alcohol âin the bathtubâ. Itâs clear that it is a god memory, their tone is joyful because although they didnât have much, they felt like they lived in a âpalaceâ and he treated her like a âqueenâ. Theyâd sing to each other; she was flirtatious and sweet, and he would respond with desire. They were happy even though they didnât have much.
 Youâd swoon, youâd sigh, working shifts till we cried
Oh if one more guy calls me darling then I
Swear to you and to god I will murder them all, all the bastards applaud when I show that Iâm flawed
Youâre not flawed darling, youâre just a little under-rehearsed
 However, not all was easy for them. The next stanza gives us a more realistic look the difficult lives they led, as they worked âshifts till we criedâ, and she got hit on and harassed. She recounts men calling her âdarlingâ and goading her, applauding when she failed. Together they sing âI will murder them allâ then he reassures her that even when she fails, itâs not her that is flawed, itâs just a momentary lack of preparation. Instead of giving into the pain and anger, he helped her make light of the unfairness of life, a world cruel to women.
 And Iâd get in. And for some reason, youâve painted the kitchen lime green
And Iâd sink to the floor, whatâs the point anymore
And you, youâd reply with a glint in your eye
(And you, youâd reply with a drink in your hand)
Saying âI donât know, but Iâm here, Iâm all yours, dear heart donât cryâ
 A memory hits her, a time when she got home and heâd âpainted the kitchen lime greenâ and she just couldnât cope anymore. Life was just too hard. Sheâd sunk to the floor, desperately asking him âwhat the point anymore?â. But heâs singing this part too, because there were times that it was him sinking to the floor begging her to tell him why he should go on. They held each other together through the years.
 And each time theyâd reply to the other âI donât know, but Iâm here, oh dear god, dear heart donât cryâ- each time neither knew what to do,  only that they loved the other and couldnât bare to see them cry. This beautiful mirroring of sentiment shows that, in fact, they did know exactly what to say. That just to express their love was enough; to show their imperfection honestly and reassurance that they would be there, always âIâm all yoursâ.  Because they are imperfect, human and flawed, and very much in love. Â
 Iâve loved you, for a hundred years
Certainly fucking feels like it
The minute I met you the colours of my life begun to pour
 Here he uses hyperbole to expresses how it feels to him to love her â âloved you, for a hundred yearsâ, but she makes a joke about it, trying to lighten the mood âcertainly fucking feels like itâ. But he doesnât let her, telling her that when he met her his life flooded with âcolourâ. She can admit her feelings then, her fear of losing herself, and because he was comforting her, she can tell him that she afraid of the dark.
 The âdarkâ is powerful symbolism for the unknown, loss and death, a place without identity and time. While âcoloursâ symbolise the bright memories that they made together. She is scared because her âcolourfulâ memories are fading away and she will be left in the âdarkâ alone.
 And now, even though youâre mad and these memories wonât stay, itâs okay
Cos now I get to meet you for the first time every single day
 But he continues to reassure her, that he knows sheâs scared, but that it will be ok. He will love her even when she does not remember him anymore. When every day that he will spend with her, will be like the first time they met. And he will love her just as much.
Your eyes arenât rivers there to weep
But a place for crows to rest their feet
And rest my head at night content
Knowing where my marbles went
 The song ends with the word hope, because that is what they give each other. Through their difficult lives, they have been there patiently waiting. And they will continue to be there, holding each other together through the years.