Bush - Glycerine Lyrics Meaning

My take on the song meaning- my personal meaning. It is about a relationship where two people are living apart and see each less of each other.

Glycerine"

"It must be your skin I'm sinking in
It must be for real 'cause now I can feel"

She is with him, so he is feeling real or something tangible being able to touch her. She is something he has been longing for or starved of. It has been so long that he has seen her and he dreamt of her and now she is with him and her can feel and touch her.

"And I didn't mind
It's not my kind
It's not my time to wonder why"

He doesn't question it nor does he mind it right at this early stage (infancy) of their arrangement (long distance relationship), he merely accepts the moments they are together.

"Everything's gone white
And everything's gray
Now you're here now you're away"

Everything's good when she is there and then it is sad, and empty when she leaves. A gloominess is creeping in at this stage when she leaves.

"I don't want this
Remember that
I'll never forget where you're at"

He doesn't want to be apart from her, although they have busy schedules, and it is her choosing to be apart from him- (derived from I'll never forget where you're at) - meaning she chose her schedule to be away from him. Or they are both at stages of their life where some other things keep them apart

"Don't let the days go by"
She let's time slide and he spends it in isolation looking for some other solace. And she shouldn't spend so much time apart from him.

Glycerine
Glycerine
This is where the glycerine or explosive pressure is building on him - the first stage of being upset

"I'm never alone
I'm alone all the time"
Although he is busy and has people around him, he misses her. He misses her touch and he feels alone. Next stage where his gloominess, doubt and fear is getting stronger

"Are you at one or do you lie?"
Next stage is she faithful ? Is she truly alone ? Is she with someone else, has she found someone else to replace him, is that why she spends so much time away from him ?

"We live in a wheel
Where everyone steals
But when we rise it's like strawberry fields"

He is questioning her being faithful to him and apart from him and her motives. How can she bare to be apart from him when he longs for her and misses her so much. And they both are together they pretend time being spent apart is okay for them and they're coping well.

"If I treated you bad
You bruised my face"
His doubt and fears, isolation, frustration is now building and he is treating her bad, because he feels she is hurting him by staying away and bruising his ego.
If he treated her bad, it was because she hurt him and he wanted her to hurt just as much, to feel his pain.

"Couldn't love you more
You got a beautiful taste"
His need for her feels like an addiction and feels a bit obsessive.

Don't let the days go by

He needs her and she stills stays away and the pressure is mounting and his frustration is growing.

"Could have been easier on you
I couldn't change though I wanted to"
He could have endured their dispute
But he couldn't change what he was feeling inside, missing her so much. And that lead to them fighting.

"Should have been easier by three
Our old friend fear and you and me"
Doubt and fear of losing her crept in and clouded his thoughts and that made suspicions grow more, adding to them fighting more.

Glycerine
Glycerine

"Don't let the days go by"
His plea to her and anger not to neglect him.

Glycerine

Don't let the days go by

Glycerine
Glycerine

Glycerine
Glycerine
*Anger is setting in, and that's why he shouts this glycerine

"Black moon white again
Black moon white again
And she falls around me"
She takes away all the pain and anguish and isolation when she returns to see him and they make out, his anger simmers and his faith in their love is renewed.
Or his anger and frustration turns to love again when she pleads with him to be understanding and patient.

I needed you more
When we wanted us less"
Then the melancholy returns and the need when she leaves.
He wanted her more to chase away this doubt, but she stayed away and wanted something else ( and it is actually her career she wanted to concentrate on) rather than being with him.

"I could not kiss just regress"
He couldn't hold onto to his love for her, he had to regress or pull away from it. And everything is becoming frustrating.

"It might just be
Clear simple and plain"
If he can't connect with her, it clear and simple they should part

"That's Well, that's just fine
That's just one of my names"
This is frustrating him, the isolation and he pretends that breaking up is easy for them.

Don't let the days go by
Could've been easier on you, you, you
"I regret letting you go but it happened .. Moving on"

Glycerine
Glycerine
*this gylcerine is regret, sorry but it was sweet.

This merely tracks the evolution (need, doubt, fear, isolation, turbulence, parting ways, regret, apology) of a relationship where two people are trying to make distance, schedules and their goals work, and isolation, fear, doubt, frustration creeps in and the relationship can't survive. Each time he mentions the word gylcerine it represents an emotion building up to frustration that cause him to explode and end the relationship and the final ones are sorry, regret . Basically glycerine (ingredient) is the substitute emotion or cause that lead to the breakup.

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