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Damien Rice - Volcano

This seems to tell the story of a relationship between a younger girl and an older man.

don't hold yourself like that
you'll hurt your knees
I kissed your mouth and back
that's all I need
don't build your world around volcanoes
melt you down

She is either holding herself on her knees in a position of worship, or holding herself in the position of giving him oral sex. Either way, I think the image works. This girl is essentially worshipping this man, but he wants no part of it. She, however, doesn’t know any other way to show her love for him, other than this sort of iconic worship. The “don’t build your world around…” phrase, spoken by the man, is the one that you hear in your head every time you think of pursuing a relationship you know would look bad to the outside world. He’s saying, “Don't build your world around me. As much as we want this, we can’t pursue it. It’s just going to end up badly.”

and what I am to you
is not real
and what I am to you
you do not need
and what I am to you
is not what you mean to me
so give me miles and miles of mountains
and I'll ask for the sea

It’s sort of a retelling of his position. “Whatever you think this was going to be, it’s not.” It almost seems as he has an entire community looking over his shoulder to make sure he says it. This chorus is like every well known, fall back break up line. "What I am to you, you do not need," is very, "It's not you, it's me." Staged and phony, and she can see right through it. The lines about mountains and the sea is set up as a, “the grass is greener on the other side” sort of deal. He’s telling her, “even if you give me this, whatever it is, I would want something else.” But even though he says these things, his voice possesses a certain tinge of longing. He says these things only because he must, and his lust is beside the point.

don't throw yourself like that
in front of me
I kissed your mouth, your back
is that all you need?
don't drag my love around
volcanoes melt me down

She is given the opportunity to answer his statement, and she lets him have it. She is adamant about the fact that she senses he’s lying. “Don’t throw yourself like that,” she says. Don’t lie to me, and don’t drag my love around. The relationship is crumbling.

and what I am to you
is not real
and what I am to you
you do not need
and what I am to you
is not what you mean to me
so give me miles and miles of mountains and I'll ask..

They sing this chorus together, both recognizing the stagnation of the relationship.

..for what I give to you
it's just what I'm going through
this is nothing new
no, no, just another phase of finding
what I really needis what makes me bleed
but like a new disease, lord
she's still too young to treat…

He still feels kind of a yearning for this girl, but knows that the problems that would come out of the relationship would be far more than he is prepared to bear. So he shoves a lie onto her shoulders, denying his sense of longing, and giving in to whatever has insisted that he leave her. He seems to illustrate that this has happened more than once, whether with her or with mutiple other girls. The lines that show us that he still wants to be with her is that he needs what makes him bleed, which is her, a new disease who is too young to treat.

I can’t decide whose fault this relationship is. It could be the guy, who is obviously lusting over this girl, and only leaves her because of some outside force. The outside force is a community, in my opinion. Or it could be the fault of the girl who insists on throwing herself at an older man, though she knows that any relationship between the two of them would make him look bad.

If I had to take an insistent stand I’d say it was his fault. He loved her, and she believed him, and then he thought twice. He has the right idea, though. I think, though he lusts after this girl, he is breaking it off for the right reason. He could easily justify it with many Eastern philosophies that say that life shouldn’t be a struggle. Whatever you want, go for it. Don’t think, don’t question, just do. In this case I think the man is looking at this relationship with this much younger woman and saying, “You know, this isn’t going to work.” I think there’s a chance that he’s being forced into this way of thinking by someone other than himself, but that doesn’t make him all wrong.

Here’s to another relationship, bombed.

Ashley

What makes him stall?
What makes him stand?
And what shakes the elephant?
And what makes a man?
I don't know.