Sunny Came Home

This is one of my favorite songs about the ugly effects of abuse, better than "Janie's Got A Gun".

Yes, it is obviously about abuse, but some of the less obvious points were missed in others' interpretations:

"Sunny came home" - she has been away, and that can be for many reasons, but the most likely is that she had been sent away for counseling. Most victims of abuse get out by attempting suicide or other Red Flags, like self-mutilation and "accidental" overdose.

"Sunny came home to her favorite room; Sunny sat down in the kitchen" - not the bedroom that was the site of her [probable] sexual abuse, but the kitchen where the family sat at the table and pretended to be normal.

"She opened a book and a box of tools; Sunny came home with a mission" - one of the therapeutic methods of treating the effects of abuse is Journaling and learning new coping skills, or "tools". But, rather than get on with her life, Sunny has different plans, she is on a mission. And her new set of "tools" includes deciding not to be a victim anymore. Yes, they could be literal tools, too...maybe she wants to nail the doors shut so her abusers can't escape.

"She says days go by I'm hypnotized/ I'm walking on a wire/ I close my eyes and fly out of my mind/ Into the fire" - victims of abuse can have PTSD, which includes Dissociating, a feature of Multiple Personality Disorder where a person is away from reality and may lose days, weeks or years. They do not have all their memories and their world is chaos: often a firestorm of anxiety ad panic.

"Sunny came home with a list of names/She didn't believe in transcendence" - It was not just one person responsible for her abuse. Either several people directly abused her, or Sunny also blames the people who knew and did nothing to protect her. To transcend is to "rise above". Sunny has NO plans to just "Get Over It" (Eagles reference).

"It's time for a few small repairs she said/ Sunny came home with a vengeance" - "a few small repairs" in her mind can be monumental. A sex abuse victim is told to keep quiet: "No one will believe you anyway", so she may have gone a long time making the family's image more important than her pain. Now, she is making everyone else less important than the "repairs" she needs to do for herself- she is back for Vengeance, which can only be done if you minimize the suffering of your targets by dehumanizing them.

"Get the kids and bring a sweater/ Dry is good and wind is better" - Her past abusers may have innocent children in their homes which Sunny does not want to see harmed by her actions. Abuse victims do tend to become vigilant in protecting other helpless people. It probably is cold outside. The air is dry and there is a favorable wind, both of which will help the direction of her planned arson.

"Count the years, you always knew it/ Strike a match, go on and do it" - Even though her dissociating helped her lie to herself about what happened and who was to blame, she can no longer justify what was done to her. Even now she has to remind herself it's okay to strike the match and set things right. Many abuse victims ask themselves if somehow they caused the abuse and if they have a right to be avenged.

"Oh light the sky and hold on tight/ The world is burning down" - Sunny is punishing her abusers and will burn the whole world down if she has to...it was only an illusion to her, anyway. This burning may also be a metaphor. She could be burning everyone down simply by making the truth known publicly about who did what to her, thereby burning down their images of goodness that have allowed her abusers to escape justice. "Hold on tight" can also mean she knows she has a long legal battle and people are going to be angry with her for exposing the sickness of the family. In dysfunctional families, many members blame each other and avoid taking responsibility. "Why are you causing all these problems over what as done ten years ago?"

"She's out there on her own and she's alright" - Sunny no longer needs the family's approval, which helped keep her silent about the abuse.

"Sunny came home/ Sunny came home" - She is no longer dissociating or living a lie. She came home to herself, faced her abusers and can start the long road of healing.