BY: DANIELLE CLARK, STAFF WRITER
Noah Kahan has built his career on writing songs that feel personal, but “The Great Divine” may be one of his most emotional yet.
While interpretation differs for all listeners, I believe that the song reflects something like Kahan looking back at a relationship filled with misunderstanding and things left unsaid. In the first verse, he sets the tone with a line about not remembering the last time they talked about anything other than “looking out for cops.” It paints a picture of his reckless youth and shared mistakes. “We ain’t friends, we’re just morons, who broke skin in the same spot.” It is a very emotional series of lyrics; he admits his relationship was connected by disorder more than by stability.
In the pre chorus, he sings about his “deep misunderstanding” of this person’s life and how hard it must have been for them to keep everything inside. It seems like an apology without directly saying sorry. It is him realizing he did not fully see his partner on a deeper level when he had the chance.
The chorus is one of the strongest parts of the song. “I hope you settle down, I hope you marry rich. I hope you’re scared of only ordinary shit.” When I first listened, I thought it sounded sarcastic. But I came to the realization that it is not. It feels like a genuine plea for peace. He hopes they fear normal things like “murderers and ghosts and cancer on your skin,” instead of deeper consuming feelings such as anxiety about their “soul” and “what he might do with it.” Personally, I chose to interpret the “he” in that lyric as God. That line is much more emotional that way; It shows how heavy their internal struggles and disconnect to religion may have been.
In the second verse, Kahan reflects on how unfair it was to “stare ahead like everything was fine.” Sometimes the worst thing you can do in a relationship, whether romantic or platonic, is pretend not to see someone struggling, just because you don’t want to face it.
The bridge of his song asks the question, “Did you wish that I could know that you’d fade to some place I wasn’t brave enough to go?” This lyric was hard for me to dissect, but I believe they moved into a spiritual territory. Based on his lyrics mentioned previously, “what he might do with it,” it seems as though Kahan felt he could not follow along for whatever reason. I’m not sure if it was because he did not understand or if he was too scared but, either way, he knows he lost them there.
The outro shifts again. “I hope you threw a brick right into that stained glass.” That line is clearly symbolic; like he hoped they broke free from whatever guilt or religious fear that was holding them down. He wants them to be with someone “who isn’t scared to ask.” It resembles growth. He is not asking for them back. He is hoping they are okay.
Outside of the song itself, the demand for Kahan right now says a lot. Presale for his tour began Feb. 10 at 12 p.m., and it felt like trying to win the lottery. Personally I was 10,890 in line for tickets and when I got on, there was nothing left. Fans flooded social media frustrated, but excited. It is clear that his audience connects and resonates deeply with what he writes.
