Song Meaning
This song paints a vivid, almost dreamlike scene of a past romantic encounter under a striking night sky. The initial image of falling into someone's arms on a "starry picking night" sets a tone of surrender and perhaps a touch of melancholy, as if the narrator has lost something. The moon's unusual description – "like salt" and falling "like snow" – creates a surreal, almost unsettling atmosphere, suggesting a moment that felt both magical and fragile.
The central tension arises from a complex emotional entanglement, hinted at by the line, "You remind me much of her." This suggests the narrator is projecting feelings or memories onto the current person, or perhaps the current person embodies traits of a significant past figure. The repeated phrase "Lying in the back of the car" anchors the scene in a specific, intimate space, while the narrator's observation, "I was watching you watching her," reveals a layered dynamic of observation and perhaps unrequited attention, even within the intimacy of the car.
The most striking craft element is the juxtaposition of celestial imagery with deeply personal, almost primal feelings. The moon falling like snow and streetlights turning to fire are powerful, unexpected images. The final lines, "Shadows and their multitudes / Shadows were our favourite food," are particularly intriguing. This suggests a shared comfort in the hidden, the unspoken, or perhaps even the darker aspects of their connection, elevating shadows from mere absence of light to something nourishing and essential to their bond.