Never Can Say Goodbye
A.I.P Lyrics

Legs of a cat
Starting with a description of an animal's anatomy, the song sets the tone for a series of surreal and disjointed images that are difficult to logically explain.

Head of a man
Another non sequitur follows, with a seemingly random description of a human body part.

Eyes on the camera
The song takes on a meta quality, describing an awareness of being watched or observed through a lens.

Shaking everyone's hand
A potentially social interaction, but delivered in an ambiguous and unsettling manner that could either be friendly or threatening.

Vultures circle
The imagery continues to be dark and ominous, with scavengers circling the sky.

And smack their lips
Their anticipation of something to feast on is conveyed through a visceral sound.

The sky goes black
A sudden, dramatic shift in the environment.

As the lightning rips
The previous line is reinforced with a violent and destructive image.

Stars are new
A poetic statement that suggests a shift or renewal in the cosmic order.

Born without pity
This image could either be a commentary on the nature of celestial bodies or a metaphor for something else entirely.

As waves of blood
An unsettling and violent image that further reinforces the sense of chaos and destruction unleashed in the previous lines.

Roll over the city
The violence and destruction are localized in a specific place, adding a sense of immediacy and danger.

It's not a rehearsal
The song emphasizes that what is happening is real, not staged or simulated.

Or special effects
Reinforcing the previous line and nodding to the idea of spectacle and illusion commonly presented in media.

It's the end of a story
There is a sense of finality and closure, but also of inevitability.

It's what happens next
The song deals with events beyond the point of closure, framing the end as just another beginning.

If I say, and I say
Repetition of this line suggests a sense of urgency or insistence.

It's coming in a second
The sense of inevitability is reinforced, with something imminent on the horizon.

In the blink of an eye
Framing the impending event as sudden and overwhelming.

With a bang and a whimper
A callback to T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Hollow Men,' which deals with themes of disillusionment and apocalypse.

And I say it's OK
The repetition of this phrase could either suggest a sense of acceptance or resignation.

If you never say goodbye
The song could be interpreted as framing death as a final goodbye, but this line suggests that it doesn't have to be.

Son of a child
Another non sequitur that defies logical explanation.

Son of a beast
Like the previous line, this could be interpreted as a metaphor or a commentary on human nature.

As it slouchers and slithers
The imagery takes on a more sinister quality, suggesting something creeping or lurking in the shadows.

It's way from east
The direction provides a sense of movement and directionality, but could also be a reference to apocalyptic prophecies predicting events from the east.

I dreamt a dream
The song takes on a more surreal quality, with dream logic and symbolism at play.

But what can it mean
The sense of confusion and uncertainty is reinforced, with no clear explanation or interpretation provided.

Angels and more
In keeping with the dreamlike quality of the song, a series of fantastical beings are introduced.

Devoured the queen
The imagery takes on a darker quality, with a sense of betrayal and destruction.

All the people danced
The contrast between the joyous activity and the violent imagery that precedes it creates a sense of unease and dissonance.

And tore at their clothes
The sense of frenzy and chaos is reinforced with a violent gesture.

The sky caught fire
Another violent and dangerous image, with natural elements behaving in unexpected and destructive ways.

And the oceans froze
The sense of disorientation is reinforced, with natural elements behaving in ways that defy logic and convention.

It wasn't a fable
The song emphasizes the reality of the events being described, suggesting that they are not just symbols or metaphors.

It wasn't a hoax
Reinforcing the previous line and emphasizing the gravity and seriousness of the events being described.

The servants and the devil
The imagery takes on a more religious and supernatural quality, with the ultimate forces of good and evil at work.

Keep making up jokes
The sense of absurdity and nihilism is reinforced, with even the forces of good and evil reduced to making jokes in the face of destruction.

I saw a chapel
Returning to more concrete imagery, the song describes a physical, identifiable space.

Lain of God
The chapel is specifically associated with religious faith or devotion.

The light was so blue
The sense of surrealism and dreamlike disorientation is reinforced, suggesting a light that is somehow unnatural or otherworldly.

And the air was so cold
The contrast between the warmth and comfort of a chapel and the cold, alien quality of this air is jarring and unexpected.

It sounded high
The imagery takes on an auditory quality, with a sense of music or sound echoing through the space.

On a microphone
The sense of performance and spectacle is reinforced, with the suggestion that this is a recorded or amplified sound.

As the rats kept rhythm
An unexpected and unsettling contrast between the sacred and the profane, suggesting the presence of vermin in an otherwise holy space.

On a chicken bone
An absurd and somewhat comical detail that further reinforces the sense of chaos and confusion.

People wept
Returning to more emotional imagery, the song suggests a sense of grief and loss.

And swallowed their jewels
A bizarre and unsettling gesture that reinforces the sense of confusion and disorientation.

Entered like soldiers
Returning to a more military or martial imagery, the song suggests a sense of order and control.

Departed as fools
The sense of futility and absurdity is reinforced, suggesting that even when striving for control and order, humans ultimately fail.

It isn't a sentence
The sense of confusion and disorientation is reinforced, with the suggestion that what is happening cannot be explained or understood through conventional means.

It's not a reward
Reinforcing the previous line, and suggesting that what is happening cannot be interpreted as a positive outcome or a result of deserving it.

It's a black parachute
The imagery takes on a more specific and identifiable quality, with a sense of something tangible and physical.

With a noose for a cord
The dark and ominous implications of the previous line are reinforced, with the suggestion of something deadly and violent.

And I say it's OK
The repetition of this line suggests a sense of resignation or acceptance.

If you never say goodbye
Returning to the theme of death and finality, the song suggests that it can be accepted without needing to say goodbye or achieve closure.