Lyric discussion by tubesocks 

Cover art for Poses lyrics by Rufus Wainwright

For me, the meaning of this song stems from the words "I did go from wanting to be someone now I'm drunk and wearing flip-flops on Fifth Avenue." In the morning you wake up and decide that you want to change, that you want to become more than are now - you might change for a couple hours, then you're back into everday routine and doing the exact same thing as the day before. For Rufus this means being drunk on Fifth Avenue, for me its back to the daily grind. This song reminds me of Ernest Hemingway's writing in the book "A Moveable Feast". After a day where nothing was accomplished despite good intentions, Hemingway writes "I felt the death loneliness that comes at the end of every day that is wasted in your life."