Hello all,
I've just re-listened to SV's 1st album for the first time in a while - it's the album I know the least, and this song was one of the pleasant surprises I'd forgotten.
This song seems to sum up a certain aesthetic that appears in her songs from time to time: that of severity, for the need of repression, or sharpening and hardening one's persona as a means of protection from the world. Perhaps the character in the song was recently wounded. I've also re-read "The Passionate Eye" recently and was struck by the story about the girl who is starving herself out of heartbreak, and wondered how much of this was autobiographical. (Disclaimer - not that it matters!!!!)
You can see this theme at work in her visual presentation - she goes through phases of visual severity, the most extreme being the Days of Open Hand look with the severe, "straight line" hair, and the 99.9 look, with the harshly lit, extreme-contrast videos. Contrast this with the much rounder, softer look of her last two albums (esp. Songs in Red and Grey).
Anyway it's a good song, rockin' too.
Brady

I think you've summed up the song pretty well, Brady. I always thought that it was a little underappreciated. One of the stronger songs on what is a very strong album.

It's a pretty sad song, but a necessary one. The world can be none-too-nice.

Weird thing here: I always feel like looking into a window when I see Suzanne on the frontcover of the debutalbum, as if she just cut her hair in straight lines and the wind blowing through it. The story "woman in the window" in the passionate eye really resembles straight lines a lot in my mind.

I really like Straight Lines, it's one of my favourites. Maybe I have the wrong idea, but I've always thought that this song is about rape.

"There is a sound across the alley of cold metal touching skin..." I imaging the attacker holding a knife against the victim's neck.
Then the woman changes her hair style and try to change her life but at the end...
"There is a sound across the alley of cold metal too close to the bone". The woman has followed his attacker and stabbed him.
"And you can see if you look in her window the face of a woman finally alone behind straight lines". The woman has been sent to prison and the straight lines are the cell bars.

Am I mad?

Hi.

I've just bought the album on LP. Great album, great song! I've always thought it was about solitude, depression and suicide.

"There is a sound across the alley of cold metal touching skin..." she’s trying to kill herself but can’t. Or she’s just cutting herself.

“She's cut down on her lovers…” they don’t know it but she is saying goodbye.

“Of cold metal too close to the bone…” she kills herself.

”Finally alone…” it sounds like she wanted to die.

But now when I think about. It more sounds like it’s about rape. I think your right Krazylepew.

Cecilie