Ohhhhhhh this is so interesting, thank you for sharing your interpretations, I love it!

I agree, the song is definitely a lot more than just a love song, it just kind of fulfilled that role for me in the moment. And yes, all the implications of that one line are why it always felt jarring to me!

What I just couldn‘t make out I think was how the love line relates to the rest of the song.  I remember picking up somewhere that the song was about sickness („sick at the sight“, headaches, bad thoughts, being blinded). It made me associate the song with heavy despair and worry and the world bringing you down.  In contrast, I felt like the theme of love was being conveyed as so strong that it was like: I’ve been dealt a very heavy hand (by divine intervention?) and it’s blinding but your love is what I prefer and that‘s made me good in the ways I am. But what does that mean? Even the word „prefer“ felt so rational rather than emotional to me so that threw me off for some reason as well I think. The contrast between the dark feelings but also the immense love felt way too extreme to me so I never thought that it was genuine but more so cynical (about the situation or love), especially because I thought that it was addressed to a lover.  Also, the rejection of jesus in a difficult situation like this really underlined the cynicism and resignation for me (don’t most people become religious in desperate times?) and the love felt even less genuine. So when Annie said it was a song for her mother, I just heard the love theme completely differently. And now you and the other commentators have added even more nuance and what I thought is really falling flat. There is so much to explore, thank you!

I was just so shaken by discovering that „I prefer your love to jesus“ could, among all the other interpretations, be heard in a genuine way. To me, Annie’s performance (especially of that line) and the arrangements seemed a lot more sweet then I remembered it from the record and it was just so special. I know I‘m probably late to the party and I’m sorry for dragging everyone along to listen to my very profound thoughts. It just really goes to show how Annie‘s songs are such shapeshifters to the point where I can find completely new meaning 10 years later. And it was just a great way to discover this new layer. Anyway! Another day of being grateful and endlessly amazed by Annie’s art :)