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Interpretations:Ondine

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My interpretation of this song has always been that the singer is bitter after a romace with Ondine went tragicly awry. -Cronny

Has anyone ever considered the possibility that this song is connected to She Was A Hotel Detective? After all, both songs seem to be about a woman who is some sort of underworld character. What if the "Hotel Detective" is named Ondine? Along with (She Was A) Hotel Detective, that would make this a sort of film noir song trilogy. I realize that this is a reach, but it's at least a possibility.
As far as the interpretation for this chapter in this supposed trilogy, it's fairly easy to come up with a story that fits the words: Ondine, the quondam "hotel detective," a sleazy private eye employed by an equally sleazy hotel, shoots one of her associates -- the narrator of Ondine -- steals his pickup, and runs him over. But, unbeknownst to Ondine, she doesn't quite finish the job. Years later, the singer comes back to hunt her down and to challenge her to "finish what [she] started." Meanwhile Ondine has picked up on some rumors that this guy is back in town, and starts being haunted by dreams about the original crime.
I'm not sure I'd believe that They had this story in mind when they wrote Ondine, but this kind of story does seem to fit with the overall mood of the song. Tutt 14:57, 21 Oct 2005 (EDT)MasterChivo

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