King and Queen of Siam

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of intense, almost obsessive affection, starting with a vivid, almost tactile appreciation for a lover's features. The narrator is drawn back repeatedly, unable to stay away, even as they acknowledge a desire to leave. This initial adoration is framed by a yearning for a perfect, idyllic past, specifically referencing a "royal rule" under the "king and queen of Siam" where "sweet love" was constant. This sets up a stark contrast with the present. The central tension emerges in the "hard part," where the narrator confesses a paralyzing indecision and an overwhelming sense of impossibility. The "mountain of forever" becomes a potent metaphor for the daunting, perhaps unattainable, nature of enduring love or commitment. This feeling of being lost and unable to act clashes directly with the earlier, uninhibited desire to love and be loved, expressed through the repeated "Incarnation" and "Resurrection" refrains. The song's effectiveness lies in its juxtaposition of the concrete and the abstract, the personal and the mythic. The specific details like a "marble ear" and "eyes are blues" ground the intense emotion, while the "king and queen of Siam" evoke a fantastical, almost fairy-tale setting for love. The repetition of "I would love you" across different states of being – incarnation, resurrection – highlights a desperate, almost spiritual longing for a love that transcends time and circumstance, making the present struggle all the more poignant.