Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that began with an almost supernatural, manufactured intensity, a 'passion play' that defied natural order. The narrator recalls a moment where even 'barren snow bloomed' simply because they willed it, suggesting a powerful, perhaps artificial, initial connection. However, this manufactured reality quickly crumbled with the appearance of 'mutant sheep,' a jarring image that signals the intrusion of something unnatural or flawed into their idealized world, leading to the first hint of distress: 'Didn't I see you cry?' The central tension lies in the struggle between this engineered passion and an inevitable return to a more primal, perhaps less desirable, 'type.' The chorus offers a stark directive: 'As soon as we reject the graft we can revert to type.' This suggests a conscious decision to sever an artificial connection, acknowledging that their 'sentiment was overripe.' The repeated plea 'Don't cry my love' underscores the pain of this separation, a pain that seems inherent even as they try to rationalize the breakup as a natural process of shedding something unnatural. The writing employs striking, almost grotesque imagery to convey the artificiality and eventual decay of the relationship. The 'serpent souls' that 'stand erect' and then 'slither off again' evoke a sense of cunning and perhaps a predatory nature that feels out of place in a romantic narrative. The reference to 'Doctor Morose' and the 'island' further amplifies this feeling of a dark, possibly pathological, experiment from which they are trying to escape, highlighting a desire to return to a more fundamental, albeit perhaps less sophisticated, state of being. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their unsettling blend of grand, almost divine, creation and base, instinctual regression. The narrator grapples with the law of their own nature, questioning why a relationship built on such a powerful, willed foundation would lead to such evident sorrow. The repeated question, 'If it was worth a try, why did I see you cry?' serves as a poignant, unresolved inquiry into the true cost of their manufactured passion and the painful inevitability of their 'revert to type.'