Hi Bob!
Good one! I’ve read the lyrics several times and think I understand it - I’m not good at picking up subtlety.
I love that mandolin in between and around the verses - I’ve been pondering what the mandolin is saying, and the best I can describe my thoughts are that the mandolin adds a certain ‘matter of factness’ to the story - not dire, not joyous - just a feeling of ‘it is what it is’ and maybe a sense of healing over time. I would have preferred for the mandolin to not cut-off so quickly heading into the verse, but to fade out in the same way it fades in.
A really good song with interesting metaphors of salvation.
Andrew