Song Meaning
This track grapples with the baffling nature of love, questioning what truly underpins affection when conventional reasons fall short. The narrator directly confronts the disconnect between her beloved's flaws and her deep-seated feelings, setting up an immediate, almost absurd, tension. It’s not his singing, which is described as souring milk, nor his slow, often incorrect, learning that draws her in. These are presented as objective failings, yet they don't diminish her regard.
The core conflict arises from the narrator's admission that her love would persist even under dire circumstances. She states, "If he abused me / Or used me ill," and "Were he a plain man / I'd love him still." This reveals a love that transcends superficial qualities or even decent treatment, suggesting a profound, perhaps irrational, attachment. The contrast between his objective shortcomings and her unwavering devotion highlights the mystery she's trying to unravel.
The most striking aspect of the writing is its blunt honesty about the illogicality of love. The narrator dismisses tangible attributes like his singing and learning, and even his handsomeness, as irrelevant to her affection. The lyrics pivot from listing these non-reasons to a near-resignation: "It must be something / I can't define." This self-awareness of love's inscrutability is where the song finds its power.
Ultimately, the effectiveness lies in this raw, unvarnished confession of a love that defies explanation. The final lines, "Unless it's merely / That he's masculine / And that he's mine," offer a hint of an answer, but it feels more like a shrug than a definitive conclusion. It captures that disorienting feeling when love's origins are hidden, leaving the listener to ponder their own inexplicable affections.
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