Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark picture of a couple navigating a deeply traumatic event, possibly an abortion or stillbirth, framed by external societal judgment and internal denial. The opening lines, "The scraping is complete / And we're out on the street," immediately establish a sense of finality and exposure after a medical procedure. The phrase "Killers on the loose / And we're holding hands" creates a jarring contrast, suggesting a shared, perhaps guilty, secret while seeking solace in each other amidst perceived external threats or condemnation, ironically finding protection "by the law" and relief from public outcry from "kooks / With placards in hand." The central emotional tension lies in the couple's struggle to process their grief and the potential guilt associated with their actions. The narrator directly addresses their "Girlfriend," lamenting, "We're having a bad year / The saddest thing / I thought this would bring / Us closer." This reveals a profound disappointment that the shared trauma has not, as hoped, strengthened their bond but instead seems to have created a chasm or a shared burden they can't articulate. The question, "Do we deny it to the end / To ourselves and to our friends? / Do we file it away / Dead babies, mortal sins?" highlights a desperate attempt to suppress the reality of their loss and the moral implications, fearing the judgment of both their inner selves and the outside world. The most striking craft element is the repeated juxtaposition of innocence and transgression, particularly the recurring image of "Killers on the loose / And we're holding hands." This phrase, initially seeming to refer to external threats, takes on a chilling ambiguity when later paired with "Of fetuses in tubes / Our baby's red and blue / Black and blue." The lyrics suggest the couple views themselves, or their actions, as both perpetrators and victims, caught in a cycle of pain and self-recrimination. The elevation to "little gods" who can "get us off" hints at a complex, perhaps narcissistic, coping mechanism where they exert control over their fate, even if it leads to profound sorrow and moral compromise, further complicating their shared experience of loss and their relationship's future.