I Have Known Love
Silver Apples
The Cosmic Journey of Love: An Exploration of Silver Apples' 'I Have Known Love'
Silver Apples' song 'I Have Known Love' is a poetic and surreal exploration of the profound and transformative power of love. The lyrics are rich with metaphors and vivid imagery, painting a picture of love as an all-encompassing force that transcends the ordinary experiences of life. The opening lines, 'I have known love and love has won. I burned my fingers on the sun,' suggest that love is both a victorious and a painful experience, capable of bringing immense joy and intense suffering.
The song continues to describe a series of fantastical and otherworldly experiences, such as being 'imprisoned on the moon' and 'sailing upon the boat that flew when there was room to float.' These lines evoke a sense of adventure and exploration, implying that love takes the narrator to places beyond the physical realm, into the realms of dreams and imagination. The mention of drinking 'out of the magic urn' and sleeping 'inside the shade encircled by the love we made' further emphasizes the mystical and almost magical quality of love.
Throughout the song, there is a recurring theme of surrender and acceptance. The narrator admits to having 'surrendered much too soon' and 'never heard the warning voice,' indicating a sense of vulnerability and a lack of control over the powerful emotions that love brings. Despite the challenges and the pain, the narrator ultimately embraces love, acknowledging its transformative power and the beauty it brings to life. The closing lines, 'I've known love and love has won. I burned my fingers on the sun,' reiterate the dual nature of love as both a source of warmth and a cause of pain, but ultimately a victorious and enriching experience.