Song Meaning
The narrator directly challenges the common wisdom that time heals all wounds. They assert that their suffering hasn't faded but instead has intensified, comparing it to sinews growing stronger with age. This isn't a gentle fading; it's a hardening, a deepening of the pain.
This perspective reframes time not as a balm, but as a crucible. The lyrics suggest time is merely a test of one's ability to endure trouble, not a cure for it. The crucial point emerges: if time *were* a remedy, it would imply the initial suffering wasn't a true affliction, a notion the narrator clearly rejects.
The most striking aspect is the stark contrast between the received wisdom and the narrator's lived experience. The repeated negation of time's healing power, especially the forceful "Time never did assuage," creates a powerful sense of defiance. The comparison of suffering to "Sinews do, with age" is a brilliant, visceral image of pain becoming more robust, not less.
This writing hits hard because it validates a difficult, often isolating, emotional reality. It speaks to the experience of enduring pain that doesn't diminish but transforms, becoming an ingrained part of one's being. The lyrics offer a stark, unvarnished truth about certain kinds of suffering, finding strength not in forgetting, but in the very act of enduring.