Who left you so?
Who left you so?
Who left you so?
Striking a match for the keyhole
Dark as the evening laid
When he left you all alone
Turning to fade through the sawgrass
Tall as the only love
That you'll ever really know [ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/i/iron_wine/an_angry_blade.html ]
Who left you so?
Who left you so?
Who left you so?
Grace is a gift for the fallen dear
You're an angry blade and you're brave
But you're all alone
Turning a shade of an angel born
In a bramble ditch when the doors
Of heaven closed
The narrator has met this woman. For him to ask who left her this way in the chorus could signify the extent of the damage the other person has done to her. Each time he asks "who left you so? " he seems to ask with astonishment. "how could anyone do this to you? " he seems to ask. He calls her an angry blade. A blade is another term for woman, but it also has connotations of knifes, weapons etc. Which could signify that she is violently angry, (maybe suicidal or homicidal). She did experience much love (tall as the saw grass) and our narrator doesnt think she will ever know love bigger than that which destroyed her. He mentions grace, which can be defined as a state of kindness or favor toward someone. This can either mean that she has hope to feel grace, or this can mean that the man who left her can recieve grace and be forgiven. But she seems to reject the notion, usin her anger to push herself forward and calling it bravery. Her rejection of foregiveness and grace cause her to be like a fallen angel ,and her bitterness are the brambles of which she inflicts on herself. To her this is all that she can feeel. She sees no end in sight for her pain.