The lyrics of "The Pan Within" by The Waterboys invite the listener on a journey of self-discovery and introspection. The imagery of going beneath the skin suggests delving deep into one's innermost thoughts and emotions. The reference to Pan, a Greek god associated with nature, wilderness, and fertility, hints at finding a connection to the natural world and one's own primal instincts. The repetitive refrain of "close your eyes, breathe slow we'll begin" creates a sense of guided meditation, as if the singer is leading the listener on a spiritual exploration. The mention of swinging hips and losing one's head adds a physical element to the journey, as if encouraging the listener to let go of inhibitions and surrender to the experience. The lyrics also touch on themes of love, desire, and surrender. The mention of lovers, thieves, fools, and pretenders suggests that everyone is on their own journey of self-discovery, and that by surrendering to the process, one can find their true self. The idea of sanctifying the night and finding pleasure in the wind and stars further emphasizes the spiritual and sensual nature of the journey. Overall, "The Pan Within" is a poetic and introspective song that encourages listeners to explore their innermost selves and find a connection to the natural world and their own primal instincts. It is a call to surrender to the journey of self-discovery and embrace the depths of one's own being.

This song is about fulfilling your dreams, fantasizing, wishing to fall in love, and realizing that even if this happens, it might not be as heavenly as the TV makes it out to be... "we all want to be big stars...we don't know why." the ultimate moral to me is to enjoy the time you have in life, no matter what it may be, and learn to appreciate the beauty right in front of you

Frontwoman Emmy Mack had this to say about the track; "I wanted to write a song that felt like Nine Inch Nails meets ‘WAP’. An empowering metal anthem that would help me smash some of the stigma and shame around sex that I felt for a long time after surviving SA. Consensual sex is one of the most awesome things in the world! And we’re beyond grateful to the legends in Alpha Wolf for backing this vision, for helping us inject more sexual liberation into the world of heavy music, and above all, for conspiring with us to create a horny metal song about oral sex that people can fuck to."

Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?

This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone). And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.