The Lady Songs

Song Meaning

The narrator grapples with a profound sense of disorientation and shame, feeling reduced to a primal state by love. The opening lines paint a picture of utter confusion: "Like a dumb beast in a show, / Neither know what I am / Nor where I go." This animalistic imagery is starkly contrasted with the narrator's declared state of being "in love," which is framed not as joy, but as "my shame." The soul's adoration of what hurts it further deepens this internal conflict, suggesting a self-destructive or masochistic element to this powerful emotion. The lyrics then introduce a complex tension between the spiritual and the physical aspects of love, particularly as it pertains to women. The narrator questions the nature of the lover who will lie "between your feet," implying a physical intimacy, while simultaneously preparing a ritualistic cleansing and perfuming of the body. This duality is highlighted by the prayer "The Lord have mercy upon us," which punctuates the stanzas, underscoring the perceived sinfulness or overwhelming nature of these desires. The most striking craft element is the deliberate division of love into two distinct spheres: one for the soul, and one for the body. The narrator's "true lover" is expected to "love my soul as though / Body were not at all," while simultaneously loving "your body / Untroubled by the soul." This creates a fractured ideal of love, where the spiritual and carnal are kept entirely separate, yet the narrator desires to "knows worse evil of the body." The desire for a "contrapuntal serpent hiss" when physical intimacy occurs suggests a deep-seated unease, a sense that even this divided love is fraught with hidden danger or transgression.