Well, my first, off-the-cuff, flip response is "a tampon string".
But.... somehow I don't think that's what SV was thinking when she wrote the song.
It might be that the string is the chain of family that has led her to be queen (she's young, and she's queen which suggests that her father, mother, and any brothers are all dead). She's trying to hold within her all that has been passed down to her, and it's too sharp.
Ok, I just can't ignore the menstrual imagery there.
I think the thread could also be read as a total misunderstanding about menstration. She thinks that there's something inside of her that hurts her and doesn't really belong which is causing her monthly menses.
I remember hearing that years ago - courtesy of ciorstan, whom you might want to say hi to - and buying the LP. That was before I moved back to San Diego for 7 years and gave my LPs and turntable to her and her husband. Suzanne Vega writes some interesting lyrics.
This is one of my all time favourite songs. My brother would play the guitar and I'd sing, until he got sick of it. I can still do it a capella on a dime if asked.
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The whole thing is mysterious to me. WHat the heck is the thread?
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But.... somehow I don't think that's what SV was thinking when she wrote the song.
It might be that the string is the chain of family that has led her to be queen (she's young, and she's queen which suggests that her father, mother, and any brothers are all dead). She's trying to hold within her all that has been passed down to her, and it's too sharp.
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I think the thread could also be read as a total misunderstanding about menstration. She thinks that there's something inside of her that hurts her and doesn't really belong which is causing her monthly menses.
Too much of a reach?
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