It's about a son leaving home and then returning - perhaps the parable about the Prodigal Son.
The "old road" is being washed away - all the bad things he's done and all the trouble he's been in is being forgotten with his return home. "Shoes worn to paper" stands for all that he's been through in the time he's been gone. It's clearly been a long time. He's looking forward to coming home, back to what he used to know, but at the same time, he's scared and nervous.
It's about a son leaving home and then returning - perhaps the parable about the Prodigal Son. The "old road" is being washed away - all the bad things he's done and all the trouble he's been in is being forgotten with his return home. "Shoes worn to paper" stands for all that he's been through in the time he's been gone. It's clearly been a long time. He's looking forward to coming home, back to what he used to know, but at the same time, he's scared and nervous.