That's That

I think this song has a nostalgic quality. Looking back on a period of time with a smile having grown up since then.

There is a degree of nostalgia in this song. The lyricist is indeed recanting the longing and desire for a slightly older woman (or man) in years gone by with a person who may initially have been a platonic friend (they both went down South on a whim) but for whom that changes, at least from the perspective of the narrator. Let's make hay while the sun shines can of course just mean making the most of any given opportunity but in this context I think it also refers to sexual desire and exploration and this is further emphasised by the 'loss of innocence' imbued in the lines "Old playthings are all laid to waste Thrown out to make better space " whereby a youth transgresses and abandons the toys and playfulness of childhood to become preoccupied with being a sexual man more interested in relationships and work; and in respect to the latter becomes a slave to the machine, as a janitor in Baltimore. The joyful aspirations of childhood are supplanted by the harsh realities of adulthood. In this respect making a 'better space' is viewed somewhat with irony - yes it is a right of passage but the narrative just laments what was left behind at that turning point. Whatever it's about I was instantly hooked when I first heard this. I love the almost ethereal vocal style coupled with a humdrum (the machine of working life?) percussive beat and that oh so sublime baseline which haunts as much as the nostalgia in the lyrics. I got the album on the basis of this track alone. :-)