“Never Love an Anchor” by The Crane Wives

“On some level, I think I always understood

That these hands of mine were clumsy, not clever

And I tried to do the best that I could

But try as I might, I couldn’t bring myself to hold you”

This verse discusses the feelings that come up when you think that you are not enough for the person you care about but still want to be there for them. It illustrates how it feels to want to do everything so you don’t fail, yet it’s never enough. 

“It’s a secret I keep tucked inside my chest

With this heart of mine that’s guilty, not remorseful

There is love that doesn’t have a place to rest

But it would have buried you if it had settled on your shoulders”

In the second half of this verse, the speaker tries to describe the sadness that comes with being forced to say goodbye. Having loved someone or something and being forced to say goodbye to it, or having it be taken away, is something you would never wish on anyone. They try placing the listener in their shoes, explaining that the weight that comes with this is too strong for one person to hold. 

“On some level, I think I always understood

That a ship could never really love an anchor

So, I did the only thing that I could

And severed the rope to set you sailing from my harbor”

This verse handles the fear that fills you when you think you are holding a loved one back in life. In the narrator’s point of view, the only way to change this was to cut their loved one off in hopes that it would set them free from their grasp. But in doing this, they also risk the life that could have been made with them. This can be very conflicting, especially when trying to make the decision on whether they want to hold onto them or not.

“There are times when I still wonder about you

You are someone I have loved, but never known

And you’ll never see the reasons I had

For keeping my claws away when they were close enough to hurt you”

In the scenario of this song, they do cut off the person that they cared for. By doing this, it means that they will never really get closure on why they did what they did, and they will have missed their chance to truly know them as a person.

This becomes even sadder after realizing that this song is from the perspective of a parent losing or giving up a child. This makes the second line hit harder as it reads as a parent mourning the child that they could have had the chance to know and raise. 

“I am selfish, I am broken, I am cruel

I am all the things they might have said to you

Do you ever think of me and my two hands?

And wonder why they never soothed your fevers?

And wonder why they never tied your shoes?

And wonder why they never held you gently?

And wonder why they never had the chance to lose you?”

This verse solidifies the idea that the song is talking about a parent and child as it describes the actions that are usually done by a parent: tending to someone when they’re sick, tying their shoes, and comforting them when they need it. So again, this verse reads more as a person mourning the events of parenthood that they could have experienced had they not done what they did or lost who they lost. 

To me, this is a way of saying: I may not be the best person, but do you think about the life we could have had like I think of it? Is it possible that you wonder why I left you? Do you think I am selfish for choosing what I did, do you hate me for it? Do you think I did the right thing?

General Information

This song is a beautifully tragic depiction of the pain that comes with losing or letting go of someone you love. The vocals on this song capture the emotion of the lyrics so well, as they’re gut-wrenching in the best possible way. This song comes from The Crane Wives’ third full-length album, “Coyote Stories.” This album also includes their most popular song, “The Moon Will Sing.” Within the dissection of this piece, some filler harmonies/vocal lyrics have been excluded from analysis.