released "Cut the Cord," also on Aspyr.
Promenade
Knife In The Water Lyrics
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Cause she's been going on for days
She's been babbling and talking nonsense
And she can't see you through the haze
Shut the door to her bedroom
Please don't make a sound
Cause she's hurting in a way
That you can't wrap your arms around
It may have come and gone
At least we saw it once
And it wasn't lost on anyone
Oh baby at the promenade
Methamphetamine
Makes this a beautiful town
Where injury in the wilderness
Across the hazards of tonight
Won't bring her down
Donna came here innocent
But she left with inside sight
She would never move her mouth again
Just to keep her troubles tight
Crystal Texas City
And connection at the time
Sold to slavery up the river
For a penny to the dime
Take a picture of Donna
And the element of hell
She's a bruise across the mattress
Of a Beaumont motel
Safelight through the transom
Now she's barely awake
But her eyes won't even open to let her see through the ache
In Knife In The Water's song Promenade, the lyrics describe a woman who is struggling with a drug addiction. She has been talking incoherently and is unable to see through the "haze" of her addiction. The singer urges others to be quiet and not disturb her, as she is in a lot of pain that cannot be easily helped. The lyrics also touch on the idea of hope, and how it can be fleeting and difficult to hold onto.
The second verse talks about a woman named Donna, who was once innocent but fell into a life of drug use and eventually became enslaved in some way, perhaps as a reference to being under the control of her addiction. The lyrics also mention Crystal, Texas City, which could be a reference to the drug crystal methamphetamine, which is also mentioned earlier in the song.
Overall, the lyrics of Promenade paint a bleak picture of the effects of drug addiction and the struggles and pain that come with it. The singer urges compassion and understanding, while also acknowledging the difficulty of finding hope in such a situation.
Line by Line Meaning
If she's asleep it's for the best
Let her sleep because she's been going on a long and tiring spree of nonsensical babbling and is too lost in her own haze to even notice you.
Cause she's been going on for days
She has been on some kind of intense emotional or mental rampage for days and needs rest.
She's been babbling and talking nonsense
She has been saying things that make no sense at all.
And she can't see you through the haze
She is so consumed in her own world that she doesn't see or hear anything else.
Shut the door to her bedroom
Please close the door to her room.
Please don't make a sound
Please don't create any noise there.
Cause she's hurting in a way
She is hurting in a way that is not easily understood.
That you can't wrap your arms around
It is not a problem that can be solved by simply hugging or holding her.
Hope it once was manifest
Let's hope that the thing we used to have was still noticeable.
It may have come and gone
It might have been present earlier but might have gone by now.
At least we saw it once
We can at least be grateful that we witnessed it once.
And it wasn't lost on anyone
No one missed the thing that passed by.
Oh baby at the promenade
The promenade is where it all started.
Methamphetamine
A harmful drug that is notorious for causing addiction and other harmful effects on the user's body.
Makes this a beautiful town
Meth has made this town a place where only users can find pleasure.
Where injury in the wilderness
Even if someone gets hurt in the wilderness, away from this town, it doesn't matter.
Across the hazards of tonight
No matter how dangerous it is, people will still risk it and continue to use methamphetamine.
Won't bring her down
No matter how harmful the drug is or how long she's been using it, she is still standing.
Donna came here innocent
Donna arrived in this town as an innocent person.
But she left with inside sight
But she left the town with an understanding of what happened there, behind closed doors.
She would never move her mouth again
What happened to Donna likely resulted in her not speaking about it ever again.
Just to keep her troubles tight
She would keep it all to herself.
Crystal Texas City
A specific place in Texas where the crystal meth epidemic took hold early on.
And connection at the time
Donna was likely connected to someone who was able to get her that drug.
Sold to slavery up the river
This phrase may refer to the selling of meth to people upstream of Crystal, Texas City.
For a penny to the dime
It was sold cheaply.
Take a picture of Donna
A memory of her, immortalized through images.
And the element of hell
And the image of her that's left is one that invokes great pain and suffering.
She's a bruise across the mattress
She sustained physical damage from the experience.
Of a Beaumont motel
The motel might have been where she had her ordeal.
Safelight through the transom
Although the light is entering through a narrow opening, it is still giving light in the room.
Now she's barely awake
Now she's consumed by a sense of numbness or lack of reaction.
But her eyes won't even open to let her see through the ache
But even in her haze, she has a clear pain that's not only seen but felt.
Contributed by Anthony J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.