Witches

Song Meaning

The narrator walks through a city of imposing towers, trying to capture its essence in a letter, but the physical world feels overwhelming and difficult to translate into words. The initial image sets a scene of urban scale contrasted with the intimate, perhaps futile, act of writing. The lyrics reveal a profound sense of loss and disillusionment in a past promise. The "pinky promise" that "withers" suggests a broken bond, and the "words ache of arthritis" paints a picture of communication that has become stiff, painful, and forgotten. This decay contrasts sharply with a memory of a more pure or unblemished connection. The most striking image is of someone who "float[s] through the chimney / Sullied by no ashes," possessing a "righteous golden splendor." This figure seems almost ethereal, untouched by the grime and decay that affects the narrator and their memories. It’s a stark contrast to the "glacier of old paper" and the "cobblestone" that weigh down the narrator's attempts to communicate. This disconnect between the idealized, untouchable figure and the narrator's burdened, arthritic communication creates a powerful emotional tension. The final lines about being "two witches in the basement" with "no nubby fingers to point" suggest a past where blame was impossible or unnecessary, a time before the present weight of memory and regret settled in. The lyrics effectively use contrasting imagery to highlight a lost innocence and the painful burden of memory.