I must confess, I didn't explicitly show how long they got to be together. I did try to insert my own perspective through a few subtle details, which imply that it was at least a couple of years, though still far too short a time to be proper "payoff" compared to how long he searched for her. The "gut punch" I focused on was the fact that he outlives her, thus losing her a second time, and despite him being old, there's no sign of him following in her hoofsteps anytime soon.
That said, your own interpretation is indeed way more bleak. Should have thought of that instead, since I like bleak...
Also, I hear the original as a guy who was living a shadow life vicariously through someone who wasn't afraid to take risks, and is now adrift without his friend; Cranky is that guy found dead in Spain, at least in some respects.
And if we approach it from the lines in the song where "she" is mentioned ("If she left me again...", "So now she's gone...")?
Then again, for the record: most of the time, I don't just follow the "stories" outlined by the songs word for word, so deviation from how others interpret the songs is by no means unintentional. For example, in this case, I could have made Cranky an alcoholic, but that would just be forcing it...
Seems that RD fell really low...
That reminds me of Hard Times in Equestria series, btw.
5289554
Yeah...
And to think someone had the audacity to publish it among their own...
5289586
Thanks for the upvote! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I must confess, I didn't explicitly show how long they got to be together. I did try to insert my own perspective through a few subtle details, which imply that it was at least a couple of years, though still far too short a time to be proper "payoff" compared to how long he searched for her. The "gut punch" I focused on was the fact that he outlives her, thus losing her a second time, and despite him being old, there's no sign of him following in her hoofsteps anytime soon.
That said, your own interpretation is indeed way more bleak. Should have thought of that instead, since I like bleak...
And if we approach it from the lines in the song where "she" is mentioned ("If she left me again...", "So now she's gone...")?
Then again, for the record: most of the time, I don't just follow the "stories" outlined by the songs word for word, so deviation from how others interpret the songs is by no means unintentional. For example, in this case, I could have made Cranky an alcoholic, but that would just be forcing it...
I like your perspective though.