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The Girl in the Window
Mark Lenover Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To catch the whispering, up with
The hiss of tape recorders
But there ain't nobody there
Oh no, there ain't nobody there
Then he goes out to the shops
That line up outside his house
He'll always pause at his reflection
Oh no, there ain't nobody there
But he's got friends behind the glass
"How much you want for the girl in the window
I'll give you twice whatever you think she's worth
I'll give you all that and more to see her cured"
He has and argument with his lover
She'd slipped poisonous snakes into his supper
Every night since they'd first met
Though she pretends that she forgets
Now he puts his collar up,
And goes back out to the shops
To settle a bet with his supplier
As his lover wakes up wet
Well secured and coloured in
Now she's safely pressed underneath the glass
Oh yeah, she's safely pressed underneath the glass
"How much you want for the girl in the window?
I'll give you twice whatever you think she's worth
I'll give you all that and more to see her cured."
The Girl in the Window by Mark Lenover is a haunting song that tells the story of a man who is lonely and disconnected from the world around him. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who spends his time writing and recording, but there is no one there to listen. He goes out to the shops and looks at himself in the reflection of the windows, but again, there is no one to be seen. The singer of the song tells us that the man has friends behind the glass, but they are not real friends. They are the people he sees outside his window every day.
The man has a lover, but their relationship is troubled. She has been poisoning him with snakes in his supper every night, and she pretends to forget that she is doing it. The man is aware of what is happening and puts his collar up, a sign that he's bracing himself for a confrontation. He goes back out to the shops to "settle a bet with his supplier," presumably to buy more supplies to deal with his troubled relationship. Meanwhile, his lover is "safely pressed underneath the glass," suggesting that she is trapped or confined in some way.
The song is full of dark imagery and leaves many questions unanswered. Who are the "friends behind the glass"? Why is the man being poisoned by his lover? What is his supplier providing him with? The lyrics suggest a man who is lost and alone, disconnected from the world and struggling to find meaning in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
He writes as he tilts his head
He pens his thoughts while tilting his head.
To catch the whispering, up with
To hear well, he puts his ear close to the sound source.
The hiss of tape recorders
He hears the noise made by tape recorders.
But there ain't nobody there
No one is around him despite hearing noises.
Oh no, there ain't nobody there
He laments about the lack of company.
Then he goes out to the shops
He leaves his place to run some errands.
That line up outside his house
Shops are located along the street by his house.
He'll always pause at his reflection
He habitually admires his image in store windows.
But there ain't nobody there
There is still no one around him.
Oh no, there ain't nobody there
He is still sad about it.
But he's got friends behind the glass
He finds joy watching the people behind the shop front windows.
"How much you want for the girl in the window
He contemplates asking the shop owner to sell him the girl on display.
I'll give you twice whatever you think she's worth
He is willing to pay more than the girl's worth.
I'll give you all that and more to see her cured"
He would even pay extra to see her saved from her current situation.
He has and argument with his lover
He fights with his partner.
She'd slipped poisonous snakes into his supper
His partner has been surreptitiously feeding him poisonous snakes.
Every night since they'd first met
This has been happening for a long time.
Though she pretends that she forgets
She pretends that she has not executed this plan.
Now he puts his collar up,
He raises his collar.
And goes back out to the shops
He returns to the shops for more errands.
To settle a bet with his supplier
He visits a supplier to address a previous wager.
As his lover wakes up wet
He returns to find his partner wet.
Well secured and coloured in
She is tied up and probably bruised.
Now she's safely pressed underneath the glass
She is now displayed in the shopfront window.
Oh yeah, she's safely pressed underneath the glass
He takes pleasure in her new state of being.
"How much you want for the girl in the window?
He asks again for the girl's price.
I'll give you twice whatever you think she's worth
He repeats his offer to pay double the girl's cost.
I'll give you all that and more to see her cured."
He is willing to pay even more to save her from her current situation.
Contributed by Austin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.