> <<Well the technical manual's busy > She's not going to fix it up too easy>> > > Here's an interesting metaphor...who's her "technical manual"? Myrtle, her > mother? Or a close friend? Or a professional therapist? Regardless of who it > is specifically, the person is not too receptive to being the resource that > Joni hopes she would be.
Here's another weird take on these lines. I always thought the way she sings them was interesting, with the syllable "man" being extended. So, I always thought she was saying that he (the minus) was busy, but that she couldn't quite bring herself to say that he was too busy to pay attention to her, so she says "manual," which could also mean she relies on him for doing the repairs. But, then reading Bob's interpretations below, I think that makes sense too. > > <<And she holds out her flashlight > And she shines it on me > She wants me to tell her > What the trouble might be>> > > So now rather than getting the desired advise from whoever the "technical > manual" may be, they are turning the tables and asking her to define the > problem. This leads me to believe that the "technical manual" is a > professional, who's trained to ask those kind of questions..."so how did that > make you FEEL", etc. ... > <<She's not going to fix that up > Too easy > But she holds out her candle > And she shines it in > And she begs him to show her > How to fix it again>> > > Like you would light a candle to provide a minimum amount of light during a > blackout, she shines a candlelight into the "blackout" of the relationship. > Coincidentally, candles are also considered romantic, so she could be trying > to symbolize the re-introduction of the romance. > Then again, she's asking HIM for advice, so maybe he is the technical manual. Ah, Joni is never easy :-) lots of love Anne
