Slow Like Honey

Fiona Apple's 'Slow Like Honey' is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of desire, memory, and the lingering impact of a past relationship. The song's lyrics are rich with metaphors and vivid imagery, painting a picture of a love that is both intoxicating and elusive. The opening lines, 'You moved like honey / In my dream last night,' set the tone for the entire song, suggesting a slow, deliberate, and almost dreamlike quality to the emotions being described. The use of honey as a metaphor conveys a sense of sweetness and heaviness, encapsulating the complex nature of the feelings involved.

Throughout the song, Apple delves into the idea of an unfulfilled connection that continues to haunt both parties. Lines like 'I'll let you run away / But your heart will not oblige you' and 'You'll remember me / Like a melody' suggest that the memory of this relationship is inescapable, lingering like a haunting tune. The recurring theme of a 'big secret' that is 'slow like honey, heavy with mood' adds an air of mystery and depth, implying that there is something profound and unspoken that binds the two individuals together, even as they drift apart.

The song also touches on the interplay between fantasy and reality, as seen in the lines 'Though dreams can be deceiving / Like faces are to hearts / They serve for sweet relieving / When fantasy and reality / Lie too far apart.' This suggests that the dreamlike quality of the relationship serves as a form of escapism, a way to bridge the gap between what is and what could have been. The final verses, where Apple sings about standing at the edge and contemplating whether to release the other person, encapsulate the tension between holding on and letting go, ultimately leaving the listener with a sense of unresolved longing and introspection.