Contributors:

Jonathan Chaffer

Dave Chalker

Damian Glenny

Ira Nichols-Barrer

Thor Lancelot Simon

TheTutt@aol.com

This song is basically about a guy who is in love with a woman, and he feels that she is the ideal person (an angel). He feels like he isn't good enough for her (he isn't an angel). Throughout the song he glorifies her and says that he is less perfect than people think he is.

I met someone at the dog show
She was holding my left arm
But everyone was acting normal so I tried to look nonchalant.
We both said, "I really love you,"
The Shriners loaned us cars
We raced up and down the sidewalk twenty thousand million times

This is what happened when they met and started a relationship. He is saying that their meeting was the perfect start to their relationship ("I really love you")

Why did they send her over anyone else?
How should I react? These things happen to other people
They don't happen at all, in fact

He is pondering: Why did she choose me? These kind of perfect relationships happen to other people. In fact, I have never heard of something this perfect.

When you're following an angel
Does it mean you have to throw your body off a building?
Somewhere they're meeting on a pinhead
Calling you an angel, calling you the nicest things

When you are trying to be with someone who is perfect, do you have to be perfect too? (throwing yourself off a building is something that only angels can do, they can fly, and he thinks that he isn't an angel)

Next, the line "meeting on a pinhead" is from the saying "How many angels can fit on a pinhead?" The angels on the pinhead are other women and he is saying that to this woman and to women in general, he may appear to be better than he is (he thinks that he is not an angel)

I heard they had a space program
When they sing you can't hear, there's no air
Sometimes I think I kind of like that and
Other times I think I'm already there

Here John is saying that there are places where you can't hear what other people are saying, and he likes that because he doesn't like hearing complemints about himself when he knows they're not true. Then he realizes that he is assuming a lot by thinking that people are complimenting him behind his back because, of course, he can't hear them.

Gonna ask for my admission
Gonna speak to the man in charge
The secretary says he's on another line,
Can I hold for a long, long time?

In this part he's addressing God, the man in charge. He's trying to figure out if he deserves to be admitted into heaven, e.g. if he's an angel, if he's good enough for her.

I found out she's an angel
I don't think she knows I know
I'm worried that something might happen to me
If anyone ever finds out

He just realized how perfect she is, but he doesn't think she knows that he feels that way. He's worried that if someone more perfect than he runs into her that she will fall for him, and he will lose her.

I met someone at the dog show,
She was holding my left arm.
But everyone was acting normal,
So I tried to look nonchalant.
We both said "I really love you."
The Shriners loaned us cars.
We raced up and down the sidewalk
Twenty thousand million times.

This is just the writer meeting his girlfriend for the first time, falling in love, and all that. Natch.

Why, did they send her,
Over anyone else?
How, should I react?
These things happen,
To other people,
They don't happen at all, in fact.

Now, this is where my interpretation starts to differ from everyone else. I think this is actually referring to the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster - I hope like hell that it actually occurred before this song was written... - and the female astronaut that was amongst the crew. Wasn't she the first female astronaut, or something? Anyway, I think that the writer is asking anyone who'll listen, or God, why she was chosen for that fateful flight, over any other person. Bad things aren't supposed to happen, after all. It's always the other person that gets cancer, etc.

When you're following an angel,
Does it mean you have to throw your body
Off a building?

If he wants to be with her, does he have to kill himself?

Somewhere they're meeting on a pinhead,

Reference to a well-known quotation in imitable Giants style.

Calling you an angel,
Calling you the nicest things.

Praising him for being strong enough to carry on.

I heard they had a space program
When they sing you can't hear, there's no air.

These two lines are the ones that sell it for me. Space program = NASA, no air = vacuum... I think it's pretty literal; and a good comment about angels singing too...

Sometimes I think I kind of like that and
Other times I think I'm already there.

He likes the idea of her being an angel so much that he starts to fantasize that he's with her again.

Gonna ask for my admission.
Gonna speak to the man in charge.

Praying to God for permission to enter Heaven with his lover.

The secretary says "He's on another line."
Can I hold for a long, long time?

Stands to reason that God's got other things to do...

I found out she's an angel.
I don't think she knows I know.
I'm worried that something might happen to me
If anyone ever finds out.

He knows she's gone to Heaven, but, since she hasn't contacted him, assumes that she thinks that he's still grieving. I resolve to use simpler sentences in future. And he's worried that people will lock him up if he says that his girlfriend's an angel... Quite rightly, too...

Well, that's about it, really. A completely new angle... What do you think?

I was reading the interps for She's an angel, and I figured I'd share my (sort of) interpretation. See, whenever I hear the song, I think of Babylon 5 and various Sci-Fi novels(Angels in space). Now, this isn't a true interpretation, but I thought I share my $.02

The line in "She's an Angel" that says somethng about "throwing your body off a building" is a reference to the temptation of Christ. In Matthew 4:6, the devil says "'if you are the son of God ... throw yourself down; for scripture says, "he will put his angels in charge of you, ... for fear you should strike your foot against a stone."'" Just thought you'd like to know.

None of the commentary you have on "She's An Angel" points out that the lines "When you sing you can't hear, there's no air/some times I think I'd kinda like that, other times I think I'm already there" is a pretty obvious wry comment on the fate of an early "alternative" (whatever that means) band trying to get airplay, or even a record label. Makes good sense when you consider when that song was written (i.e. before "Don't Let's Start") and again, I know I've seen the idea on the newsgroup dozens of times.

Giantisms:

• "Meeting on a pinhead" refers to the old question, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?"