The magic of these lyrics is that the usual metaphor is reversed: Rather than saying he's adrift and she's grounded--the usual presentation of this type of love song--he's saying that she's the one who is self-isolating, while he's desolate despite being on the mainland. Still, he is the one who ran, afraid...and is haunted by that and must return to plead with her.
The magic of these lyrics is that the usual metaphor is reversed: Rather than saying he's adrift and she's grounded--the usual presentation of this type of love song--he's saying that she's the one who is self-isolating, while he's desolate despite being on the mainland. Still, he is the one who ran, afraid...and is haunted by that and must return to plead with her.