Saint Catherine St.

"Come back, come back to yourself Now that your father is gone This winter's gone on for too long I say to myself"

Due to the death of his father, the narrator left his hometown and possibly a chunk of his old identity with it. The winter refers to the coldness of depression. It's time to let go of the past and let bygones be bygones.

"If I could, if I could recall a time When I swam in the sea as a child And it wasn't so rough and so wild Maybe I'd know it was mine"

Perhaps the narrator's father drowned and he couldn't save him? I'm not sure.

"Because I knew there was something wrapped up in the sheets But I saw my reflection and fled in defeat If I can get back by the midsummer heat I'll be looking for it out on Saint Catherine Street I'll be looking, be looking, be looking I'll be looking, be looking, be looking"

The narrator's' father has passed away, and with age, the narrator has grown to resemble his father either by appearance or mannerisms. The narrator has had quite a journey since leaving town earlier in his life (perhaps a tie-in to "You're A Wolf" from 'Leaves In The River'), and must try and plan his visit to his fathers gravesite, and Saint Catherines Street may have a cemetery located on it, or perhaps a manor with a family graveyard.

"Come back, come back to yourself Because there's nowhere else to go You've been there too long in the snow And it's ruining your health"

The narrator has traveled a great deal, has learnt from his experiences, and has been trying to forge a new identity after leaving home. Like Forrest Gump, you can only run for so long. The only path he hasn't explored yet is the one he abandoned years ago. His mental health is anguished by guilt because he didn't get to say goodbye before his father passed.

"If I could, if I could recall his voice Oh, the portrait of him in my mind Well I think I could heal with time Maybe return"

It's been a long time since the narrator has heard his father, and getting closure is one of the hardest things this man has had to face, scarring him emotionally.

"Because I knew there was something wrapped up in the sheets But I saw my reflection and fled in defeat If I can get back by the midsummer heat I'll be looking for it out on Saint Catherine Street I'll be looking, be looking, be looking I'll be looking, be looking, be looking

I knew there was something wrapped up in the sheets But I saw my reflection and fled in defeat If I can get back by the midsummer heat I'll be looking for it out on Saint Catherine Street Yeah, if she goes outside in the midsummer heat I'll be looking for her out on Saint Catherine Street So if she goes outside in the midsummer heat I'll be looking for her out on Saint Catherine Street I'll be looking, be looking, be looking I'll be looking, be looking, be looking"

The 'her' the narrator refers to could be his mother, a ghost, an apparition of Saint Catherine. It's pretty vague at this point.

I love this beautiful waltz. I find myself playing it on repeat often.

Listening to the car radio recently, I heard Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer" (http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/7344/) and thought the themes were similar. The loneliness that the cold of winter represents, travel as an escape, home comings, and seeking comfort. The latter is what brought me to this comparison. When Paul sang: "Just a come-on from the whores On Seventh Avenue I do declare, There were times when I was so lonesome I took some comfort there." I couldn't help but wonder if that is the comfort Sea Wolf was talking about finding on St. Catherine Street, maybe in the red-light district or perhaps with alcohol in nightclubs where he might find a potential lover.