Sad Eyes

I've loved this song for years and never could quite figure out what it was about, but I recently got a lightbulb moment. This song is phenomenal and it captures so much emotional complexity in just a few simple lines.

I think it's about two people who have known each for a while in passing, as acquaintances. They have a certain connection, however he is more aware of this than she is. He gets her, a little too well. She's unhappy, and she has issues. Personally I imagine that's she's deeply insecure. Her self esteem is shaken. Perhaps she's dealing with a breakup or a personal tragedy (he's been through something similar, but she doesn't know that). She finds him sympathetic, which is what draws her closer to him - he can see her unhappiness in her eyes and she feels that he understands her, so she finds herself wanting to draw closer to him. But then she gets freaked out (because she feels like she's damaged, because she's afraid of getting hurt or rejected) so she withdraws again - "You show up and then you shy away"

He is attracted to her, and they have that connection, so he's patient. He knows that her unhappiness will drive her to seek comfort and she will eventually come to him.

However, underneath the surface he feels disdain for her and a certain malice. Although he's drawn to her he can also see how wrapped up she is in herself. She's self-absorbed, and doesn't realize she's not the only person who might be unhappy. He's been unhappy too; in fact this is why he understands her so well. "Baby don't you know I don't care/Don't you know that I've been there"

She is seeing him because she wants him to make her feel better, she's hoping he can distract her from her unhappiness. But she is not really thinking about him; he's not a real person to her. He can see her shallowness and this causes him to look down on her as well: ("If something in the air feels a little unkind...")

The line "I know you think you'd never be mine/Well that's ok baby, I don't mind" speaks volumes. Maybe in the past when she was happier, she wouldn't have given him the time of day. Maybe he's not handsome enough, or he's in a lower social class or something - she would have considered him beneath her. But now, when she's feeling low, she would 'stoop to his level' so to speak, because she is searching for a fix for her sadness. And even while being attracted to her ("That shy smile's sweet, that's a fact") he's cynical and disdainful of her insincerity ("Go ahead, I don't mind the act.")

In the last verse it gets even darker. "Here you come all dressed up for a date/One more step and it'll be too late" He's simultaneously mocking and predatory. He gets satisfaction out of luring her towards him, because she previously considered herself too good for someone like him. He knows that as soon as she opens herself up to him - as soon as she stops being fake - he'll have the power to hurt her. I picture him as a wolf in sheep's clothing, or a spider catching a fly in his web.

"Blue blue ribbon in your hair/Like you're so sure I'll be standing here" Her insecurities are plain for him to see, and it brings out something sadistic. He gets jaded satisfaction out of this small sign of trust (the ribbon in her hair). Even though he did show up at the date, he knows that he didn't have to, and he could have easily made a fool out of her. It ends with a reversal of fortunes - once she considered herself better than him, but at the end of the song it's clear that he has the upper hand.