Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
I was broken
I was tired now I'm bound
My head is off the ground
For a long time I was so weary
Time will decide, but before
No one loves the nighttime at the door
haunted by the things I've been yeah
Stuck between the burning light and the dusty shade
Said I, used to think the past was dead and gone;
But I was wrong, so wrong
Whatever makes a flower must make you strong, make you strong, yeah
At my time I've melted into many forms
From the day that I was born, oh.
But I know there's no place to hide;
Something between the burning shade and the faded light
I was broken for a long time
But it's over now
Said I was broken for a long time
But it's over now
Yes and you, yeah you walk these lonely streets and people stare
People stare
There are some fools that just count in and I do pretend;
And I'm free from all the things that saved my friend
And I was there to the end
Yeah I know I can take the moon
Something between the burning shade and the faded light
And I was broken for a long time
But it's over now, it's over now
Mm it's over no'w, now, now
It's over now, its over now.
It's over now, now, now
Said I was broken for a long time
But it's over, but it's over
But it's over, but it's over
But it's over, but it's over
But it's over now, now, now, now
But it's over, love is over
But it's over now
But it's over, love is over
But it's over now, now, now
I was broken for a long time yeah
But it's over, but it's over now yeah
Over now, it's all over, it's over now.
I was tired now I'm bound
My head is off the ground
For a long time I was so weary
Time will decide, but before
No one loves the nighttime at the door
haunted by the things I've been yeah
Stuck between the burning light and the dusty shade
Said I, used to think the past was dead and gone;
But I was wrong, so wrong
Whatever makes a flower must make you strong, make you strong, yeah
At my time I've melted into many forms
From the day that I was born, oh.
But I know there's no place to hide;
Something between the burning shade and the faded light
I was broken for a long time
But it's over now
Said I was broken for a long time
But it's over now
Yes and you, yeah you walk these lonely streets and people stare
People stare
There are some fools that just count in and I do pretend;
And I'm free from all the things that saved my friend
And I was there to the end
Yeah I know I can take the moon
Something between the burning shade and the faded light
And I was broken for a long time
But it's over now, it's over now
Mm it's over no'w, now, now
It's over now, its over now.
It's over now, now, now
Said I was broken for a long time
But it's over, but it's over
But it's over, but it's over
But it's over, but it's over
But it's over now, now, now, now
But it's over, love is over
But it's over now
But it's over, love is over
But it's over now, now, now
I was broken for a long time yeah
But it's over, but it's over now yeah
Over now, it's all over, it's over now.
Lyrics submitted by a1b2c3
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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.
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The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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I have never, ever, been so strongly to relate to emotion through a song before. Incredible