As by the dead we love to sit

Song Meaning

“As by the dead we love to sit” immediately plunges into a profound meditation on loss. The lyrics suggest a strange comfort found in dwelling on what's gone, even when others are present. This isn't just grief; it's an active, almost cherished engagement with absence. The central tension here lies in the human tendency to fixate on what's absent, even when surrounded by the present. Despite others' presence, the speaker's focus remains on "the lost," indicating a powerful, almost irrational attachment. This grappling with absence suggests a deep emotional void that current realities cannot fill. The lyrics highlight how loss can eclipse all other experiences, making the departed "wondrous dear." The lyrics brilliantly employ metaphor to describe this internal calculus of grief. "In broken mathematics we estimate our prize" captures the illogical, emotional way we assign value to what's gone. This "prize" is then described as "Vast — in its fading ration," a striking paradox that perfectly encapsulates memory: immense in its impact, yet inherently diminishing over time. It's a powerful image of something precious slowly eroding, yet still holding immense weight. These lines resonate because they articulate a universal, often unspoken truth about grief and memory. The precise, almost academic language ("broken mathematics," "penurious eyes") lends an intellectual weight to deeply emotional concepts, making the experience of loss feel both profound and intimately understood.