Aunt Avis

The speaker repeatedly asks family members, including ancestors, for help and guidance. The emotional movement is from confusion and fear toward a search for moral direction: the speaker wants to remember how to be good and find a reason to carry on, even when continuing feels wrong. The repeated plea gives the song a prayer-like quality, but it does not say exactly what the speaker is facing.

The requests to “see the swans” and “hear the talk” suggest a wish to notice beauty and understand what others might teach. “Golden palm” may imply a loving touch or blessing. The “cloudy retina” is likely more than an eye problem: it can represent a blurred way of seeing, while Aunt Avis’s “ageless chalk” suggests lasting wisdom written where the speaker can finally perceive it.

The family figures might be remembered loved ones, imagined guides, or symbols of inherited knowledge; the lyrics leave this open. The changing phrase from “feel I really shouldn’t” to “know I really shouldn’t” makes the conflict sound more certain, but its cause remains unstated. “Continue” could mean simply enduring a difficult moment, or continuing a path the speaker believes is harmful. The song expresses a need for help without offering a clear answer.