Goodbye Baby

It sounds like there's more to it than a song about an abortion.

She may have several threads going in the song, but mainly the song is a confession, a baring of the heart from one adult to another-- about something that happened a long time back ("it was I who was," "woke up in tears, for all the years"). The singer is talking about a time of parting of ways after words were spoken, a time when "the light went fading fast" for the person whom she's talking to in the song, as this person slipped away.

So what they had is this parting of ways, a crisis point one day or evening ("I who went to sleep as two, woke up as one," and "I who went to sleep in tears, woke up in tears"), but it was done in a way that the other person was hurt ("now only your remain, you'll close your eyes and travel back to the time when the light went fading fast").

And she never said goodbye to them. She never talked to them about "the time when the light went fading fast," so she's talking about it now. She notes that they were with her all the time.

So, it's probably about her and Lindsey Buckingham. It's like the tender, remorseful flip side of the vengeful, gloating "Gold Dust Woman." Whereas in that song, she soared like a goddess with her defeated prey below, in this one she's below, repentant, begging to be spared.

"Gold Dust Woman," "The Chain" (Demo) and "Goodby Baby" look at the same relationship rupture from different viewpoints and angles, because Stevie Nicks was a prolific songwriter and looked at the few things that were important to her from different artistic perspectives.

In "Goodbye Baby," having rehashed the scenes of the breakup, and shown her understanding and compassion for what not just she but also the other person went experienced in that relationship-ending moment, she can now bid farewell.

The song "Say Goodbye" and "Goodbye Baby" are facing-each-other album-ending statements. The songs are to put closure, to say goodbye, to who they were and what happened to them, and where they are ultimately.

The song plays on the metaphor of an hour glass, where you start in one side and end up in another, which stands for where they started, how it narrowed to crisis with them both coming out on the other side.

There are parallel structures in wording throughout the song (e.g., "I who went to sleep as two, woke up as one" and "I who went to sleep in tears, woke up in tears") , mirroring the hour-glass upside-down-duplication of itself through which time slips away.

[Edit: update wording to improve comment]

I think if you hear this song, you gather it is deep. I think it is about an abortion, maybe not hers, or maybe hers... how could it NOT be about an abortion?

You're right GypsyDust. Stevie was pregnant around the same time as a friend of hers. This friend developed cancer during her pregnancy and instead of going through chemo to save her life but risk losing the baby, she decided to let the baby live and let the cancer take her. Stevie on the other hand felt that she was in no shape to be a mother so she had an abortion. To this day she still feels guilty about the situation and this song goes out to her unborn child.

Stevie was knocked-up by Don Henley of the Eagles (he's my idol ). The name of the baby was to have been " Sara ". Stevie's lifetime friend was Robin Snyder Anderson. The same week that " Bella Donna " reached #1 , Robin was diagnosed with terminal leukemia. The child's name IS Matthew. My favorite song is SARA by Fleetwood Mac. My best friend of 30 years is named "Sarah". She has moved to Arizona to begin her third battle with cancer. This song will keep me sane.... from breaking. The last time I saw her I washed her feet with Holy water. We made our peace, said our goodbyes. I told her that if this was the last time I see her, that I am truly very sorry if I ever hurt her. She said "No, you have never hurt me ".