Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a vivid, almost dreamlike portrait of two distinct figures, Scarlet and Merigold, who seem to represent different facets of a complicated relationship. Scarlet is introduced with intense, dark imagery – "dark skin, eyes of hot coals," "hair of raven black" – and a sense of hiddenness, "singing in closets." This figure speaks with "cobra studded words" that leave lovers as "orphans," suggesting a destructive, perhaps emotionally draining, connection. The narrator's desire to "touch" this figure is met with pain, as "thorns pricked my heart."
The contrast arrives with Merigold, described with "ivory skin, eyes of sea green," "hair of pale gold," and a more open, whimsical setting: "Dancing in a music box, singing in the garden." Merigold's words are like "silk winding," and the impact on lovers is to turn them into "mountains," implying a more grounding or perhaps overwhelming, yet less immediately painful, experience. The narrator's touch here results in a blossoming, "leaves blossomed my heart," suggesting a nurturing or transformative effect.
The core tension lies in the narrator's simultaneous engagement with these two contrasting figures. The initial descriptions of Scarlet and Merigold are starkly different, yet the narrator claims them both as lovers. The final lines, "Scarlet, Merigold and I are fine / For they are lovers, each others / As well as mine," introduce a surprising twist. It suggests a polyamorous or complex, perhaps even imagined, dynamic where the two figures are not only involved with the narrator but also with each other, creating a stable, albeit unconventional, triad. This resolution reframes the earlier pain and transformation as part of a larger, accepted equilibrium.
This dynamic is effective because it uses sharp, contrasting imagery to establish distinct emotional territories for each figure. The narrator's initial desire and subsequent pain or blossoming create a clear emotional arc for each interaction. The final revelation that all three are "lovers" offers a resolution that is both unexpected and deeply rooted in the established characters, making the complex emotional landscape feel surprisingly coherent and resolved within the narrator's control.
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