‘Illume’ – Talk amongst yourselves!

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by APerfectLie

When SYW first came out, I could never really see the connection to 9/11 in that song, but after about a year it hit me.

I am alone now
With my thoughts
Of how we could make it
Of how we could get out
What we've been through
All of the trauma
The smell of Nag Champra
Shadow of a stranger

What I saw on this journey
Is what legends are made of
I cannot pretend
That the heartache falls away
It's just like a river
Oooh, it's never-ending
No, I cannot pretend
That the heartache falls away

To me that just screams 9/11. And if I remember correctly, didn't Stevie's band stay in Toronto and she went to NYC early because she didn't want to stay? And she got in at like 2 in the morning on Sept 11? I just see Stevie sitting in her room with a candle and nag champa burning and thinking about how we are going to make it and get out and all the trauma that happened because of this "shadow of a stranger." I love this song, both lyrically and soundwise.

How does the first part of song—I am a cliff dweller from the old school, the lyrics you didn't mention, go with the second part of the song