can someone help me analyze this song,"never is a promise" by fiona apple :)

[coolgy864]

its such an amazing song, and i really need help analyzing it because i really dont have much of an idea of what it means. i would really emjoy hearing your thoughts and i'd appreciate and be extremely greatful of anything you guys could tell me. i need to find the meaning of this song as well as any poetic devices that may be present. thank you so much! :)

Never is a promise

Youll never see the courage I know
Its colors richness wont appear within your view
Ill never glow - the way that you glow
Your presence dominates the judgements made on you

But as the scenery grows, I see in different lights
The shades and shadows undulate in my perception
My feelings swell and stretch; I see from greater heights
I understand what I am still too proud to mention - to you

Youll say you understand, but you dont understand
Youll say youd never give up seeing eye to eye
But never is a promise, and you cant afford to lie

Youll never touch - these things that I hold
The skin of my emotions lies beneath my own
Youll never feel the heat of this soul
My fever burns me deeper than Ive ever shown - to you

Youll say, dont fear your dreams, its easier than it seems
Youll say youd never let me fall from hopes so high
But never is a promise and you cant afford to lie

Youll never live the life that I live
Ill never live the life that wakes me in the night
Youll never hear the message I give
Youll say it looks as though I might give up this fight

But as the scenery grows, I see in different lights
The shades and shadows undulate in my perception
My feelings swell and stretch, I see from greater heights
I realize what I am now too smart to mention - to you

Youll say you understand, youll never understand
Ill say Ill never wake up knowing how or why
I dont know what to believe in, you dont know who I am
Youll say I need appeasing when I start to cry
But never is a promise and Ill never need a lie

[dramasnot6]

How bout you tell us some of your thoughts as to what YOU think it means and we can help from there.

[Jean-Baptiste]

Welcome to the forums, Mr. Cool. I haven't heard this song, though I think she has some killer lyrics in other songs. Do you have any idea where to begin with this analysis? As a first guess, I might suggest that it's speaking of a rather shaky long-distance relationship; there seems to be enough specific imagery dealing with presence, and lack of contact to support such a claim. What do you think? As for poetic devises...hm. I'll have to think about that. I usually don't look for poetic devises in song lyrics, though I'm sure there are plenty. I don't think I would be the one to ask about that. Anyway, again, welcome.

[Anthony Furze]

Hello,coolgu864.

Nice lyrics! Don t know the artist or the song.

I like "The skin of my emotions lies beneath my own"

This appears to be (only my intuition) one of those reflective songs where the artist is talking mainly to her/him self. It does have the power of growth behind it ie realization and could even be aimed at a father, previous boyfriend-anyone who did not see the "I" properly.

Devices: rhyme, rather loose and fluid as with lyrics

alliteration: "shades and shadows" ; "swell and stretch"

assonance:

"Youll never feel the heat of this soul
My fever burns me deeper than Ive ever shown - to you"

"feel" and "heat" ; "fever" and "deeper"

You ll find a lot of assonance on the "ee" sound.

[ShoutGrace]

I am a fan of this song. :D I have an acoustic version where Fiona is playing it by herself on a piano - does anyone know if that is that the album version or a seperate one?