"But we already passed it, I cried"

[PenguinHead]

"But we already passed it, I cried" is a line in Secret Love that some people rightfully took issue with. It doesn't seem to logically apply to anything in the context.

It's one of those quirks in Stevie's writing that sometimes appears in her lyrics. To her it makes sense, but it's not always apparent to the listener.

I think I have reconciled on how to make sense of it. What they "passed" was the opportunity to rest. (No rest for the wicked, they passed the point of no return, and the "secret love secretly died." )

At least, that's my way of making sense of it.

[louielouie2000]

Exactly... they've already passed the point where they could make their secret love work. That's why her secret love has secretly died . Stevie definitely writes in a stream of consciousness style. Perhaps that's why she's never really confused me with her words, because that's the way I speak as well.

[mikebise]

That's about how I've interpreted it, ever since August 1987 when I bought Almanac at a record show in Austin. They didn't take the time to slow it down, to think things over, to give it a rest... They just moved forward, not thinking of the consequences.

[sleepless child]

I thought about this too. I think it means we've already passed the point of working it out. I think this song is about her relationship with Mick.

[MissLadyLoki]

I think it's the usual confusing lyrics we know Stevie for and to me, what sleepless child said (not you Tatjana, even though you have the same Ledgie name), it probably was about her *shudders* affair with Mick.

[siledrmr]

I'd like to add my two cents to this, and that's much more than it's worth. I think she is talking about the moment, the time for them to exist outside of their secret love (and I believe it's about a secret love that two people possess without the rest of the "world" knowing, as opposed to a secret love Stevie has for someone who is unaware of her feelings), has passed. Although, I don't think she is saying she "cried." I don't believe she is intentionally using the definition of the word "cried," shedding of tears. I am not saying that tears were not shed, but I believe she is using the phrase "I cried" instead of the phrase, "I said." As she so often does in her lyrics; she is repeating a statement that was either said or intended to be said.

So in another words,

"But we already passed it," I cried.

Not

"But we already passed it, I cried"

Again, just my thoughts on it and I wanted to add to the conversation.

[LikeAWillow]

Originally Posted by siledrmr

I'd like to add my two cents to this, and that's much more than it's worth. I think she is talking about the moment, the time for them to exist outside of their secret love (and I believe it's about a secret love that two people possess without the rest of the "world" knowing, as opposed to a secret love Stevie has for someone who is unaware of her feelings), has passed. Although, I don't think she is saying she "cried." I don't believe she is intentionally using the definition of the word "cried," shedding of tears. I am not saying that tears were not shed, but I believe she is using the phrase "I cried" instead of the phrase, "I said." As she so often does in her lyrics; she is repeating a statement that was either said or intended to be said.

So in another words,

"But we already passed it," I cried.

Not

"But we already passed it, I cried"

Again, just my thoughts on it and I wanted to add to the conversation.

Agreed. I feel like she's trying to seduce the now-ex-secret-lover one more time. He says to her, "You need some rest. My darling, it's best." Or, "Come on now. We can't do this. Go downstairs.Go to sleep." But Stevie says to him, "We've already passed it!" or "We've done this before! We've been lovers. What's the difference? We're.not.just.friends." He won't give in that one last time, though, so her secret love does finally die.

[michelej1]

I think she's saying "come upstairs" not to rekindle, but just to hold each other. He's reluctant and saying it would be too painful to be that close, since they now know they can't be together and she's saying, "How much more painful can it get? We're already paying the price. We've already past it. We're already hurting, so let's console ourselves and each other. We're miserable. We're exhausted. Let's go get some rest."

Michele

[mikebise]

I love reading all this Stevie lyrics speculation! This is the great thing about being a Stevie Nicks Fan ~ pondering her intriguing lyrics.

[CADreaming]

I still think "passed it" refers to a "test". It just feels like there's a whole line missing between "you need some rest, my darling it's best" and "but we already passed it I cried."...

LOL...I just flashbacked to Stevie telling the WB exec in DR to go "take a little rest" after they just listened to all the songs Lindsey insisted on playing and she was convinced they would fall asleep!

[skcin]

I have a totally different take on that particular verse. It sounds to me like she's a passenger in a car, the driver tells her to rest & she's upset that she fell asleep & they passed whatever/wherever it was she wanted to see. Could be an actual experience talked about literally, could be a metaphor for the journey of a releationship (not paying attention & missing something, then it's too late.)

Just a thought.

[mezzoforte]

Not exactly know for linear, narrative writing, is she? I think Stevie will often insert a line unrelated to the previous stanza to capture a mood, or because she just likes the way it sounds. That's the poet she is, I suppose.

I think in a general sense, the song is about two people (secretly in love--an affair) knowing that their relationship can't last (she's still in a "search for a love that might work"), but debating whether to enjoy each other in the present (hold each other "for a while"), or end it. They're still in love, but are already "paying the price" for their affair, and don't know where to go from here.
So in saying "we already passed it," she's saying that although she wants to be held, they've passed the time when they could be together without consequences.

I totally agree with siledrmr's opinion that "I cried" means "I said/yelled," as opposed to "I wept," and actually I'm inclined to read most of the song as a sort-of dialogue. I'm not saying it's a literal conversation, but I think she takes on multiple voices through the song--some lines represent the feelings or opinions of her lover, some herself, and some either a friend or her rational voice.

For example, I don't think "Come on it's time to go upstairs" is a suggestion of going up there together, as someone suggested. Going up would mean "leaving him here...down here in tears" and for her, being "in that room alone." No--she really is just talking about resting on her own, which might be the rational choice, yet she's hesitant to do it.
It reminded me of comments she's made in the past--there seems to be a lot of concern from her camp about Stevie getting her rest. She's referred to writing in the middle of the night in her closet with a flashlight so her friends/assistant wouldn't know. She's mentioned that people get angry with her for staying up too late, so she'll give them a print, or something. It's always seemed terribly odd to me--she's a grown woman, and it's her house and her life--but it does seem to be a theme with her. So I take that line as either her friend advising her, "Stevie, it's time to get some rest, sleep on it, take some time alone to reconsider this relationship." Or perhaps simply her own voice of logic--recognition that it's time to take a breather.
And yet, she hesitates. She understands logically that it's time to let go, but physically and emotionally, she wants to be held and safe.

In her eventual recognition that "we passed it" and that her secret love died, she comes to her own acceptance.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Stevie definitely writes in a stream of consciousness style. Perhaps that's why she's never really confused me with her words, because that's the way I speak as well.

I do the same thing and it gets me into trouble at least once a week.

[APerfectLie]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

Not exactly know for linear, narrative writing, is she? I think Stevie will often insert a line unrelated to the previous stanza to capture a mood, or because she just likes the way it sounds. That's the poet she is, I suppose.

I think in a general sense, the song is about two people (secretly in love--an affair) knowing that their relationship can't last (she's still in a "search for a love that might work"), but debating whether to enjoy each other in the present (hold each other "for a while"), or end it. They're still in love, but are already "paying the price" for their affair, and don't know where to go from here.
So in saying "we already passed it," she's saying that although she wants to be held, they've passed the time when they could be together without consequences.

I totally agree with siledrmr's opinion that "I cried" means "I said/yelled," as opposed to "I wept," and actually I'm inclined to read most of the song as a sort-of dialogue. I'm not saying it's a literal conversation, but I think she takes on multiple voices through the song--some lines represent the feelings or opinions of her lover, some herself, and some either a friend or her rational voice.

For example, I don't think "Come on it's time to go upstairs" is a suggestion of going up there together, as someone suggested. Going up would mean "leaving him here...down here in tears" and for her, being "in that room alone." No--she really is just talking about resting on her own, which might be the rational choice, yet she's hesitant to do it.
It reminded me of comments she's made in the past--there seems to be a lot of concern from her camp about Stevie getting her rest. She's referred to writing in the middle of the night in her closet with a flashlight so her friends/assistant wouldn't know. She's mentioned that people get angry with her for staying up too late, so she'll give them a print, or something. It's always seemed terribly odd to me--she's a grown woman, and it's her house and her life--but it does seem to be a theme with her. So I take that line as either her friend advising her, "Stevie, it's time to get some rest, sleep on it, take some time alone to reconsider this relationship." Or perhaps simply her own voice of logic--recognition that it's time to take a breather.
And yet, she hesitates. She understands logically that it's time to let go, but physically and emotionally, she wants to be held and safe.

In her eventual recognition that "we passed it" and that her secret love died, she comes to her own acceptance.

I agree with what is in bold, but I disagree with the "passed it" line. I agree more with LikeAWillow. I think they just really indulged in this love affair for the first time, but now the man she is talking to is telling her this can't go on. This can't turn into anything else and what they had was over. Especially if it was about Mick, he was probably telling her they couldn't be more than friends because he was married and it would tear Fleetwood Mac apart and she didn't need to get worked up about it, but rather just go rest.. But she cries, "We've already passed it!!!" As in they have already passed the point of being more than friends, so why can't they just enjoy this relationship for a while? She knows it won't work out in the end, but she is not asking forever for him, she's just asking to be held for a while. But he refuses to cave, insisting "Listen to me." so her secret love secretly dies. But that is just my take.

[jellyman10]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I think she's saying "come upstairs" not to rekindle, but just to hold each other. He's reluctant and saying it would be too painful to be that close, since they now know they can't be together and she's saying, "How much more painful can it get? We're already paying the price. We've already past it. We're already hurting, so let's console ourselves and each other. We're miserable. We're exhausted. Let's go get some rest."

Michele

Yeh, this is how I read it too. And even if it was written before she met Mick, I think it's become about him, and that doomed relationship. In much the same way that 'Gypsy' came to be about Robin, even though it really wasn't to begin with.

By the way, I was watching one of the Australian interviews from the SYW tour on YouTube the other day, and Mick got totally choked talking about what Stevie means to him. It made me think it was a shame they couldn't be together (and they really couldn't), as I think there's such a lot of real love there. Very bittersweet.

Loz