Insoluble
"Insoluble" is the seventh track on Hourglass.
Lyrics
Should have told you many times before
I should have listened when you were mine
It could be too late, I already crossed that line
My angel
When you were whispering in my ear
You have nothing to fear
(Insoluble) You have nothing to fear
(You gave it all) You have nothing to fear
(Insoluble) You have nothing to fear
(We had it all) You have nothing to fear
You've always been here by my side
I even felt you when the earth began to slide
My angel
My angel
(Insoluble) You have nothing to fear
(You gave it all) You have nothing to fear
(Insoluble) You have nothing to fear
(We had it all) You have nothing to fear
You have nothing to fear
You have nothing to fear
Dave's Take
"['Insoluble'] was about believing in something- a power greater than me that has always been there with me through my life, from when I was a kid- this sense that someone's watching or something's watching over me. I've always had that, you know? And sometimes I chose to ignore it and take back my own will and usually end up in trouble. The definition of insoluble is something that's not tangible, an energy or something that is there that you can't feel, or an angel or something like that. But the song got more and more minimal...it started out quite traditional...like a big bombastic kind of Depeche Mode-type song and we stripped it back more and more and I think in the end, it became more like a sort of mantra or something to myself like...that I really have nothing to fear apart from myself- my actions."1
My Take
Funny story...for the longest time, I kept referring to this song as "Nothing to Fear" (obviously because of the chorus), which meant, of course, I kept getting it mixed up with the Depeche Mode instrumental of the same name and wondering if I was going crazy or something when I couldn't find it (e.g., "Come on, you know that 'Nothing to Fear' song by Dave, right?! I swear it exists!"). Anyway, it was also difficult to find a source on the internet with accurate lyrics to this song, mostly because the words overlap in the chorus and counter-chorus, making it difficult to discern. So, I went ahead and used the raw source for this one- that is, Dave's handwritten lyrics within the CD booklet. It does indeed sound like he is saying "insoluble," the title of the song, in the counter-chorus. His voice sounds very light and breezy throughout, and in the chorus/counter-chorus, sounds heavily processed through some synthesized effect. As I've said in another song review, I prefer Dave's voice to be completely unaltered, but in this song, it does actually have a pretty neat effect. On the lyrics, it sounds like one person is in a despondent state ("it could be too late") while the other is trying to comfort them ("you have nothing to fear"), or like the battle between two conflicting thoughts within one mind, the idea of which the chorus/counter-chorus really brings out. On that thought, I also find it very interesting the number of times Dave has written about the "crossing of lines" or about going against or beyond boundaries in general (what a naughty boy). I'm thinking of songs like Depeche Mode's "I Want It All" ("And I've crossed the line again / A line I drew in the sand"), Soulsavers' "Bitterman" ("I may have drunk too much / Now I'll have to pay / So how far should I go"), and Soulsavers' "Gone Too Far" as some examples. It's almost like a recurring theme for him. Anyway, this song sounds so different from the others on the album, but it has a beauty of its own- a relaxing beauty.
Music Video
There is no music video for this song.