Song Meaning

The lyrics introduce Clare, a figure of intense, almost dangerous allure. The narrator describes her as a "serpentine seductress" who is "merciless" in her effect. From a distant vantage point, he observes or imagines her presence, fixated on the sounds he hears. There's a striking tension between Clare's captivating nature and the narrator's apparent suffering. She is depicted as both alluring and chaotic, "wailing like a hussy and laughing drunkenly," suggesting a wild, untamed spirit that leaves the narrator feeling overwhelmed and unable to compare himself to her power. A central craft element is the vivid, almost surreal imagery that blends geography and atmosphere. The narrator hears sounds "over the rooftops when the stars prickle the skies," in a sleeping London illuminated by a "Mississippi moon." This geographical incongruity powerfully links Clare's New Orleans origins and her learned "ways of that old voodoo" to the present moment, suggesting her influence transcends physical boundaries and perhaps even reality itself. The repeated phrase, "I hear them making love," becomes the haunting core of the lyrics. Its ambiguity is key: is the narrator literally eavesdropping, or is this a jealous fantasy, a projection of Clare's potent, intoxicating effect on others? This recurring observation, set against the backdrop of her mystical origins, makes the listener question the nature of what is being heard, deepening the emotional impact and the sense of the narrator's obsession.