Chawan, I read your blog and really enjoyed it. I am tickled at how on many of these lines we seem to be looking through the same lens. Others, you provide more depth than I. Since you made it so easy by posting line by line the way I did, I am copying it here with my comments. Beating that horse to smitherenes, I know. But so fun.

Break your neck for some substance: spend your life working hard for something of value
----you have a broader interpretation than mine.. outside of just art, but to value of life in general. Makes sense since this line seems to be "advice" to others who may or may not be artists

This is temporary sanity, an exercise in vanity: Recognition of the realities of life, however futile. ETA: vanity also may refer to ego. Nice ambiguous touch.
---you recognize the other meaning to vanity, which never occurred to me. Interesting how either meaning can fit here. Wonder if Dave did that intentionally???

So long to the ordinary day: Good by to the innocence of youth and belief in an orderly life. Life has a way of throwing unexpected life-altering events in your path.
---we absolutely mirrored each other here (high five)

Wrought with fictitious tales of how there’s any other way: There is no other way
--exactly

Hold on to anything at all: Sometimes you have to appreciate (hold on to) what you can in order to survive life's pitfalls.
--yep exactly

It’s a long way down between the summer and the fall: Anything can happen at any time. Summer= the good life, belief that life is good; Fall= change of seasons, changes in life's path, A long way down= a fall from heaven into hell
---the metaphor of "a long way down" as heaven to hell. Hmm.. he could mean heaven to hell, happiness to grief, either way there are multiple levels of depth as possibilities. Again.. does he realize this when he is writing or is this an incidental occurrence?
If I told you that you’re everything, Would you sing along?: You (friends and family) make life worth while, an invitation to join in the love.
--Yep. I like to think he means the audience too. Just a selfish assumption on my part.

It’s a daily anthem: Remember everyday
--yep. I didn't think to include the everyday. But I love how he wants this song to have an impact like that.. like a daily inspiration for his audience. The implication of this whole song is what makes it my favorite!!
Would you sing my song at the top of your lungs
And we’ll all sing along, we’ll all sing along: Passionate love for all mankind, lets all love one another., an invitation
--I think we saw this one about the same

It’s a half-faith blessing: half faith = wanting to believe but disbelieving that there is a meaning to life's tragedies, blessings for realizing what is important in life, through suffering.
--another way to look at "blessings" and I like yours better. I saw blessing as something of a gift from David as the writer but since he is on the same level as us, your view makes much, much more sense and I love your insight here!

For the lessons I’ve learned and never deserved: Lessons=what I've learned from my mistakes and the misfortunes of others, Never deserved= did not ask for these lessons, also guilt over benefiting in any way from others suffering.
--Wow, another side to the "deserved" -- ying and yang for sure!! Again, did Dave see this?? I sure did not.
And we’ll all sing along, we’ll all sing along

Now the verses take hold: I've come to this realization
--yours was about understanding, mine about impact. Both make sense.. still another example of the wonderful complexity of these lyrics
A gentle undercurrent of more years to grow old: there is more life to be lived.
--yes. mine is about his music being around and a steady force as we grow old. yours is about picking up pieces and moving on bravely.. again both make sense.. love it.
Say goodbye to the cold: Become open to the warmth of appreciation for life.
--yes.. my view was more "don't cut yourself off emotionally from what's important to you because of your personal difficulties" I think you basically said that, more concisely lol
And try to forgive everything this night,: Let go of hatred, bitterness --- yep. same.

In total, an uplifting song about recognizing life's difficulties and appreciating the good because of it. It's the ying and the yang. You cannot recognize the good without knowing the bad. Its about the dark and light of life, acknowledging both, but choosing the light. (not really doing a good job here, but you can't put it more succinctly than David did. )
--yep, you did do a good job here. I love this summary, the whole "you have to have some bad times to appreciate the good, and you have to choose the good"... I didn't fully appreciate the point until reading your thoughts here.

I hope I didn't get too carried away with comparing/contrasting our analyses, but dang, it was fun. Next I want to pick wordnurd teacher's brain so I can clarify her great comments. When time allows.

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WN #3301
"Everyone has a good heart, at the end of the day.. you know?" -DC