Song Meaning

The narrator is desperately trying to capture fleeting moments, wishing to preserve the present and future possibilities of connection. They want to "tie today up in my hair" and "collect the hours we still could dance for," treating time like a tangible object to be saved in a "jam jar on my nightstand." This intense desire to hold onto the present is fueled by the anticipation of someone's arrival, a person they imagine walking "through that doorway / And into this room / Where I am waiting for you." The lyrics then pivot to a creation myth, framing the beloved as something vast and elemental, like "the sea." This sea, however, began not with a gentle ripple but with a divine drop of sweat, evolving into a fearsome "carnivore" with "sharp teeth to scales." This imagery suggests a powerful, perhaps even dangerous, origin for the object of the narrator's affection, hinting at a primal, untamed quality that is both awe-inspiring and potentially overwhelming. This primal force is then projected onto humanity's existence, "flung us forward into day and night" with "consciences like faulty landings." The narrator sees our existence as a precarious descent, our "bodies, skin thin and desirable" highlighting a vulnerability that mirrors the intense personal desire expressed. The repetition of this phrase underscores the fragility and potent allure of physical connection, a stark contrast to the immense, almost violent, creation of the sea. The raw, almost desperate longing for the "thin and desirable" body of the beloved, juxtaposed with the cosmic, violent genesis of the sea and the precariousness of human existence, creates a potent emotional tension. It's the feeling of wanting to hold onto something incredibly precious and fragile against the backdrop of immense, indifferent forces, a desire amplified by the narrator's own perceived vulnerability and intense yearning.