Thanks for those thoughts! That’s actually largely what I was aiming for (except maybe the ‘hollow’). The voice is reciting a line from the Bible. Jesus—recently resurrected—has just forgiven Peter for denying that he knew him the day Jesus was crucified, and has welcomed him back into his circle and told him that he expects him (Peter) to lead his disciples after he (Jesus) has gone. Then he kind of abruptly prophecies to Peter that Peter will die violently for his belief in Jesus. Peter’s a little discombobulated by it, and looks down the beach to see another of Jesus’ friends walking by himself, and asks Jesus what’s going to happen to that guy?

And Jesus says “If I want him to remain until I come again, what is that to you? You follow me.”

The point of it in the song is more than anything about slowly coming to grips with having to live my own life, and understand myself without unneeded comparisons to what other people thought or did. The religious overtones and garbled words are referential to processing these topics in a religious context and feeling like the truth of the matter, and my own thoughts, were never clear.

Thanks so much again for the thoughts. Hope the explanation of what the voice is saying is helpful.