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Hi,

I listened to this song for many years.
I always thought it has something to do with murders.
First, "My brother, my killer"
Second "Your Famous Blue Raincoat was torn at the shoulder" - Jews (I am one) are making such tear at the shoulder of the cloth when a very dear person is dead (dad/mam/wife/son/daugter)

The basic story to me is:

1. It might be that Jane was at triangle love affair with both of them but she was still oficially married to her "bad" husbend that she didn't live with anymore but was still thretenned her, and making her life a misery.
2. It seems that he killed ("my killer") this husbend ("The trouble you took")
and it was the only way to do it ("I thought it was there for good so I never tried").
3. After that murder Jane was living with the friend but the friend felt bad about the murder (couldn't live with it) and he wanted to "go clear" in a way to start a new life with low profile - without jane.
4. The "lock of your hair" means to me much more when he gived her that just before he plans to go clear of the murder, that he could'nt live with.
He left to desert in order to try and "go clear" .
But the question: Did you ever go clear? make it uncertain that he could realy feel better about that murder.
5. After the friend left Jane, she came back to the writer.
"And when she came back she was nobodys wife". she was free and single to be with the writer.
6. After it happened the friend met a new wife " lili marlene" that was gone in some way - maybe dead. He couldn't live with that and hoped to see her arriving to the train station (but it was for nothing)
Anyway her loss made him feel that he lost her and he mourned for that (famous Blue Raincoat was torn at the shoulder")

Anyone feels alike or similar ?

Yuval Hai

Thank you very much for this post, Yuval!

It had always been clear for me that "torn at the shoulder" was an important piece of the puzzle in this song, but I had no idea what it might mean.

Unfortunately my interpretation is not really similar to yours (for example: "my killer" for me means "the one who killed me"), but never mind.

I'm glad you shared that information. It triggered one of these fireworks of understanding, and which is still going on! Made me discover in one day sensibly as many new facets of this gorgeous diamond as I had found in all those years.

Thanks a lot indeed!

Hello - you might be interested in my blog post, which analyses the song a little.

https://thislittlespaceinbetween.com/20 ... he-desert/

I always see the raincoat being torn at the shoulder as a symbol of world weariness. That it's 'famous' suggests that the image of this character (or maybe his self-belief or ideals) is deteriorating.

The brother/killer could be a reference to Cain and Abel - I interpret it as metaphorical - standing for 'my best friend, my betrayer'.

Your analysis is very different though, which makes it very interesting to read. I love how different the song can be for different people.

Jenny