I’d meet you where the spirit meets the bones
“Down there where the spirit meets the bone” is the title of a Lucinda Williams album and a lyric in her song “Compassion”. Williams explained to The Huffington Post: “[‘Where the spirit meets the bone’] is just that place deep down inside all of us where nobody else can really see. Everybody has different ways of dealing with that. Some people get cynical, some people act like idiots or come across with the bad manners thing. Like yelling at you when you’re in your car driving, and some guy’s … road rage or whatever it is. The rude person in line who pushes ahead to get in line. Who knows what that person went through.”
In a faith forgotten land
This seems to be both a reference to “False God” and a “Hoax” - “your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in”. Taylor uses a lot of imagery about cheating, infidelity, and faithlessness - especially in folklore and evermore. I think this has multiple meanings - 1) tay seems to have a complicated relationship with religion and how her sexuality is perceived in certain religions, saying she “did something bad” or that her love is a “false god”, so I think that at times she talks about faithlessness while reconciling her sexuality with her Christianity, and 2) in the complicated bearding relationships that she and Karlie have, Taylor feels like she is being cheated on because jerk gets all the glory of being publicly recognized as Karlie’s lover.
Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow
This feels very “Illicit Affairs” - “started in beautiful room/meetings in parking lots”. The love isn’t what it was before, but it’s still something beautiful and real.
And the old widow goes to the stone every day
The “stone” here is a gravestone. The widow is visiting the grave of her lover and mourning their loss.
But I don’t, I just sit here and wait
Couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the canvas and the pic of Kaylor in Big Sur - but now the tree has fallen and she waits alone.
However, Taylor is grieving for a relationship that has died, not a person, so there is no gravestone for her to go to, no comparable ritual for her to take part in as she processes her hurt.
This also pulls in ideas of duplicity that we saw in Coney Island, where there is one side of Taylor’s lover (Karlie!) that Taylor knows and a different side that she feels like she doesn’t. Through that lens, this line can mean that the side that Taylor loves isn’t there anymore and she is grieving the loss of that person.
My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand
Taking mine, but it’s been promised to another
Taylor is bearding. Both she and Karlie are contractually promised to other people - even when they are together and holding hands they can not truly be with each other.
Stop you putting roots in my dreamland
Taylor keeps telling people that she is writing about this imaginary dreamland in folklore and evermore, but it’s all based on her real relationships - and it shows. Tay can’t stop Karlie from coming out (not literally) in everything she writes.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I’m covered in you
Even though Taylor has her armor on in her house of stone, her love for Karlie is always there.
This also continues the metaphor of Karlie in Taylor’s music. Even in her house of stone - her little cottage in the woods albums folklore and evermore, Karlie is all over her lyrics.
Finally, Ivy is an invasive species. Once it starts growing it’s almost impossible to remove. It comes back every time you try and pull it out.
The fatal flaw that makes you long to be
Taylor doesn’t understand why Karlie keeps working with the people who she does. This seems to validate to ideas that Kaylors had last year, of Karlie’s contract ending, but her extending or continuing to engage for some reason.
Your opal eyes are all I wish to see
Opal means “to see a change of color” - Karlie’s eyes seem to change color based on the light and what she is wearing.
He wants what’s only yours
This line refers to how the people who Karlie is in contractual relationships with, or has been in them with, (Jerk, Scoot) are interested only in controlling her and getting her power and reputation. They are not trying to help her.
Clover blooms in the fields
Spring breaks loose, the time is near
What would he do if he found us out?
This is the line that is most obviously about Karlie, imo. There really is no straight explanation for this line. Either she is lgbtq or her lover is lgbtq.
The song started in winter but the winter and cold is almost over and we are now approaching spring.
Crescent moon, coast is clear
Spring breaks loose, but so does fear
He’s gonna burn this house to the ground
Even when they are free, Kaylor is still afraid of retaliation and people who are out to get them and ruin their relationship (burn the house). Because of the masters situation and whatever mess Karlie’s contracts seem to be in, Kaylor still isn’t truly able to disengage from their demons.
I’d live and die for moments that we stole
On begged and borrowed time
Again - we have “illicit affairs” themes here. Taylor loved every moment of their relationship and though their moments were in secret, they were her whole world. It also relates to the “gold clock” in Coney Island - with the time for love ticking away.
Or dare to sit and watch what we’ll become
And drink my husband’s wine
OOF. This stanza. Taylor clearly spells out her two options. 1 - she leaves Karlie (”runs”) or 2 - The bearding and hiding erode their relationship over the years (as it seems like it may have been doing), while they continue to beard forever (drink my husband’s wine) and never come out in the open. This is such a sad line.
It’s a goddamn blaze in the dark
It’s the goddamn fight of my life
Another big OOF. This line really stings because it references when Kaylor “started it” and one of the first songs that Tay wrote about K - You Are In Love. “You understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars”. When Taylor wrote that line she was saying that she now understood why people would fight so hard to be with someone, but in Ivy we are at the other end of the journey and she is the one has been fighting the war for Karlie.
izzy806
stormborns
vaporwave
gummygunk
pixelskylines
prguitarman
baratheonpilled
