#tbh this is more of an interpretation of the song through a queer lense than anything

[alias-mike]

hello everyone. it is no longer morning bc ive been busy but i am back with quotes. please note that this isnt rlly a Proper analysis and theres a lot more to be said abt the religious themes in this song, i just want to focus on the parts that jump out at me rn

"Conceived inside the womb of a glass cage / Inherited my mother’s rage / I want a taste of the world / But it says guard your heart / Lest you fall into temptation / Fall to infatuation / We’ll make a saint out of this sinner yet"

lowkey relatable! i think its interesting how "but it says guard your heart" ties the first half to the second half - like this is a person with passion who must restrain it so they don't fall to temptation/infatuation, but it can also be read that guarding their heart is something they've learned from the glass cage (and, i guess i don't have Solid Proof for this but the vibes make me think theres trauma there). furthermore, "we’ll make a saint out of this sinner yet" very much reminds me of conversion therapy especially when combined the line about heart guarding - like the character feels that they can't feel love because its a sin/they're a sinner who needs to be fixed. i feel like thats something a lot of religious queer ppl have experienced

"“Freedom is a length of rope” / So start learning how to choke / Liberty is taken on a bed of corpses / For every heart you sway, there is a price to pay / Comeuppance will wait for the day / You turn in all that you owe / Untouchable by harm / Yet slain by what we’re empty of / Oh, what annihilates more than love?"

ok lets break this down. "freedom is a length of rope so start learning how to choke" invokes such cool imagery for one, but also reminds me of how heteronormativity. you're "free" to choose whoever you want, but it must be in a straight and cis way. "learning how to choke" brings us back to "guard your heart" tbh, its saying you must fit yourself in this world, live within the rules even if they're hurting you. "for every heart to sway there is a price to pay / comeuppance will wait for the day / you turn in all that you owe" -> every relationship is a danger, even if its fine now there will eventually be consequences (such as being exposed for being gay in a homophobic society). not sure what to make of "untouchable by harm" but "yet slain by what we're empty of / oh what annihilates more than love" -> its like a lose lose situation; if they can have love, they will be persecuted. if they don't, it will kill them inside. (tbf this interpretation is a bit allo centric but shhdhdhshs)

"But though I guard my heart / I still fall into temptation / Fall to infatuation / Is there a saint made of this sinner yet?"

i love it when songs takes a previous verse and changes it a bit. this passage further emphasizes the queerness ngl, no matter how much they try to change or "fix" you, no matter how you try to hide or ignore it, you cannot deny a true part of you.

"IF WHAT’S SACRED / IS COVETED / ISN’T WANT, THEN, SIN? / IF DIVINITY IS WORSHIPED / WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU, THEN? / IF I PUT YOUR NAME ON MY TONGUE / WILL WE BOTH BE DAMNED?"

the first bit, "if whats sacred is coveted isnt want, then, sin", could be pointing out a hypocrisy. the second part, "if divinity is worshipped what does that make you, then" could be. ok so you know how in fics sometimes they describe love like worship? this brings up another contradiction - if the character loves (worships) someone, doesn't that mean the loved one is divine despite the "sinful" nature of their relationship? and, finally, "if i put your name on my tongue will we both be damned?". uhhhfhrh its been 12 hours and im tired from work but like. its gay. you get it right

everyone go listen to more than love by nine aetharia on youtube i need to know if it actually has queer subtext or if im just making things up again