And broken glass saw the blood run from my veins
But you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart Mumford & Sons – Ghosts That We Knew
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But we'll live a long life
And the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view
And we'll live a long life Mumford & Sons – Ghosts That We Knew
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What is this?
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In Mumford and Sons’ first album, Sigh No More Marcus Mumford references his favorite book, East of Eden in the song “Timshel.”
The song’s title, a Hebrew word meaning thou mayest, references the source of man’s greatness—his ability to choose between good and evil. In Babel Mumford draws upon this same theme, saying he believes in grace and choice. Whereas in “Timshel,” Mumford calls choice man’s ladder to the stars. Babel illustrates the darker results of man’s ability to choose– and choose wrong.
I've faced stronger walls than yours Bob Dylan – Soon After Midnight
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Another ragged beggar blowin' you a kiss Bob Dylan – Pay in Blood
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Forty miles wide, down the eastern line Bob Dylan – Long and Wasted Years
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Kneeling at the wheel
Above him and beneath him
Fifty thousand tons of steel Bob Dylan – Tempest
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So our house got crowded Benjamin Gibbard (Ft. Aimee Mann) – Bigger Than Love
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But you knew that I had done the same Benjamin Gibbard (Ft. Aimee Mann) – Bigger Than Love
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“Lovers’ Eyes” explores the dangerously enrapturing and potentially damaging face of love. As in many relationships, what we love in another is often a reflection of what we value in ourselves. Mumford sees in the woman he loves a “mirror” of his own feelings. So engrossed is he in her (and by extension, himself) that he becomes unable to see outside of himself and their relationship.
Personally, I think this song is more or less about struggling with sin. “Lovers Eyes” seems to be a romantic synonym for sin. The mirror is a metaphor for his perception of himself, he (as many of us) can’t see, hear, feel the people around him because of his preoccupation with serving himself.