Nectar
Tindersticks Lyrics
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Yellowed by the sun
Written that time our love was in its prime
They just ran off my pen
My pen is broken now
Couldn't eat a thing
Couldn't sit next to you
For all this sorrow the joy brings
It only shows me the truth
Changing
So I fretted at you, to swallow the pill
that's getting bitterer every day
All that joy couldn't help the boys
But we look so ...
Just like burning up the crockery
With your fire we melt our joy
Pour in the sorrow this joy brings
Took away the doubt from me
Changing
My letters sit on your window-sill
Yellowed by the sun
Written that time our love was in its prime
They just ran off my pen
I can't write them now
I can't eat a thing
Couldn't sit next to you
All this sorrow the joy brings
It only shows me the truth
Changing
I'm changing
Changing
Changing
Changing
The lyrics of Tindersticks's song "Nectar" talk about a melancholic love, emphasizing the futility of joy when confronted with sorrow. The singer is unable to put his feelings into words and is forced to rely on the fading memories of a time when love was in its prime. From the very first lines, we can sense the weight of time and how it has transformed something beautiful into something lifeless, tangible through the yellowing letters sitting on the windowsill. The pen, once full of ink and able to create symphonies of passion, has finally run dry, and now he can't even sit next to his lover, a sign of how the relationship has withered. The joy brought by love has made him confront the truth, and he knows that change is inevitable.
The lyrics carry a sense of emptiness and resignation; the joy once felt has been swallowed by the bitterness of reality. The lyrics about burning crockery create a poignant metaphor of how the fire of their love has been able to melt what was once solid and fill it with sorrow. The singer wishes to pour in the sorrow that this joy brings, hoping to take some of the doubts away. As the song reaches its end, he realizes that he is changing, as everything that was once sweet and beautiful fades away.
Line by Line Meaning
My letters sit on your window-sill
The notes I wrote to you are on your windowsill, untouched.
Yellowed by the sun
The sun has changed them to a yellowish color.
Written that time our love was in its prime
These notes were written when we were the happiest together.
They just ran off my pen
They were easy to write and flowed from my pen without difficulty.
My pen is broken now
I don't have the ability to write as I did before.
Couldn't eat a thing
I'm too sad to have an appetite.
Couldn't sit next to you
Being near you brings me too much pain.
For all this sorrow the joy brings
Even amidst the sorrow, I can still find moments of happiness.
It only shows me the truth
My mixed emotions reveal the honesty of our situation.
Changing
I am going through a transformation.
So I fretted at you, to swallow the pill
I implored you to accept the bitter reality of our relationship.
that's getting bitterer every day
The situation is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.
All that joy couldn't help the boys
Our happiness didn't solve our underlying issues.
But we look so ...
We have a superficial appearance of happiness.
Just like burning up the crockery
Our relationship is fragile and could easily break.
With your fire we melt our joy
Your passion is causing our happiness to dissipate.
Pour in the sorrow this joy brings
The happiness we experience is accompanied by pain.
Took away the doubt from me
I am certain of our situation now.
I'm changing
I am growing and evolving.
Changing
My transformation continues.
Changing
I am still changing, uncertain of what the future holds.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALASDAIR MACAULAY, DAVID BOULTER, DICKON JAMES HINCHLIFFE, MARK ANTHONY STEPHEN COLWILL, NEIL TIMOTHY FRASER, STUART ASHTON STAPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind