Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a picture of a passionate, almost reckless pursuit of love, where the couple has "driven far to love" and "stopped thinking to love." This initial intensity is described with visceral imagery: a "hungry body feels alive," and emotions are fleeting, arriving and disappearing. It suggests a love that prioritizes immediate sensation and connection over deliberation or consequence.
The central tension arises from the disconnect between this intense, isolated experience and the passage of time and external reality. The phrase "far from people, far from the earth" highlights their self-imposed bubble. The bridge introduces a precariousness: "taking off and falling in the same breath," hinting at the inherent instability of such an all-consuming, perhaps unsustainable, state. This is amplified in the second verse where "time has ripened," implying a natural progression or decay that the couple has perhaps ignored.
The lyrics employ a striking metaphor of the Mediterranean Sea, which "answers with its voice" and urges them to "go down low to the depths." This imagery suggests that true existence or perhaps a more profound understanding of their situation lies not in their elevated, detached state, but in confronting deeper, perhaps darker, realities. The reflection in the mirror in the second bridge, waiting for "access," and seeing the "city below" further emphasizes a sense of detachment and observation from a distance, a stark contrast to their earlier immersion in love.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their portrayal of love as both an exhilarating escape and a potentially isolating trap. The repetition of "driven far" and the final image of dancing to "the same tune" while "careful not to fall and not to leave" encapsulate the delicate balance they are trying to maintain. It’s a poignant depiction of a love that, while intensely felt, exists on the precipice, constantly negotiating its distance from the world and its own inherent fragility.