Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a picture of a world in motion, with "skies running, running, running" and "all sorts of glittering circles" appearing behind the shutters. There's a sense of things becoming "closer and closer," creating an atmosphere of impending events or changes. The narrator expresses a cautious awareness of potential dangers, listing "things falling, fire, wind, from trees," and the wind beating against the shutters while "all sorts of birds talk." This initial section establishes a feeling of unease and heightened sensitivity to the surrounding environment.
Despite the external turbulence, the narrator asserts a powerful internal resolve: "But I guard my soul from them / And I also do not cry." This declaration is directly tied to a remembered request to "be blessed," which the narrator repeats with conviction: "I am blessed, I am blessed." This creates a central tension between the chaotic, potentially threatening external world and the narrator's chosen state of inner peace and self-preservation, rooted in a promise or affirmation.
The most striking craft element is the recurring image of the "skies running" and their deliberate distance from the narrator and a "you." The skies "do not touch your hair" and "do not even approach the wind that comes to me from you." This suggests a separation, a refusal of the skies' movement to interfere with personal connections or intimate breezes. The imagery then shifts to metaphors of protection and shared experience: "The wind around us is a transparent ring / Like on a heatwave evening we are the moon." This contrasts the vast, moving skies with a contained, intimate space, using evocative, almost surreal images to describe the relationship and the immediate atmosphere.
What makes these lyrics so effective is their ability to convey a profound sense of inner strength amidst external flux. The repetition of "I am blessed" acts as an anchor, a mantra against the "running" skies and the implied threats. The contrast between the overwhelming movement of the world and the narrator's steadfast internal state, coupled with the intimate, protective metaphors, creates a powerful emotional resonance. It’s a quiet assertion of control and well-being, a reminder that even when the world rushes by, one can choose to remain centered and protected.