In The Glass Menagerie, Shakespeare's sister is Laura, an invalid girl removed from any possibility of attempting a normal life, as her Mother (Amanda) has trapped her into an artificial world. One of the climaxes of the play is when Laura finally tries to go out on a date with a "Gentleman Caller" and she is faced with the reality that she can't function in the real world (partially because of her mother's psychological grip). In this song, the singer (and metaphorically Laura from Glass Menagerie) is dancing a delicate balance act of the contemplation of suicide (and/or the possibility of to live in a fake GLASS world, which is basically suicide or he could simply be referencing loneliness) with a giddy mantra that "I'm going to meet the one I love." The song can be seen as a comment on the extreme manic-depressive way in which we toggle between hope and despair. The "acoustic guitar meant that you were a protest singer" line is like saying "just because you have a lover that means you are normal" -- he saying to himself (or Laura) -- go ahead you can try all you want, you will still be a loner teetering on the edge of sanity and desolation.
In The Glass Menagerie, Shakespeare's sister is Laura, an invalid girl removed from any possibility of attempting a normal life, as her Mother (Amanda) has trapped her into an artificial world. One of the climaxes of the play is when Laura finally tries to go out on a date with a "Gentleman Caller" and she is faced with the reality that she can't function in the real world (partially because of her mother's psychological grip). In this song, the singer (and metaphorically Laura from Glass Menagerie) is dancing a delicate balance act of the contemplation of suicide (and/or the possibility of to live in a fake GLASS world, which is basically suicide or he could simply be referencing loneliness) with a giddy mantra that "I'm going to meet the one I love." The song can be seen as a comment on the extreme manic-depressive way in which we toggle between hope and despair. The "acoustic guitar meant that you were a protest singer" line is like saying "just because you have a lover that means you are normal" -- he saying to himself (or Laura) -- go ahead you can try all you want, you will still be a loner teetering on the edge of sanity and desolation.