This is a cryptic song, written in a way that's interesting to speculate on. Here's my take...
I think the voice in the verses is that of a woman who's driving to her family's home where she grew up for Christmas.
"... I drive my car, pass by the signs that speak our past"
and
"familiar faces annually haunt me; the cold brings seasons of the heart"
Although Christmas is normally a nice time for family, it sounds like there's baggage in this woman's past with her family. Maybe abuse that's been covered up ("no one could see it from the start"). This seems likely, given how the past seems to constantly be with her in such a negative way ("can't block it out").
To me, the subject matter is grim, but the power of the lyrics here is incredible. With just a few words, they've captured the complicated tension of a grown woman's feelings as she's traveling home to visit a family whose past haunts her still.
This is a cryptic song, written in a way that's interesting to speculate on. Here's my take...
I think the voice in the verses is that of a woman who's driving to her family's home where she grew up for Christmas. "... I drive my car, pass by the signs that speak our past" and "familiar faces annually haunt me; the cold brings seasons of the heart"
Although Christmas is normally a nice time for family, it sounds like there's baggage in this woman's past with her family. Maybe abuse that's been covered up ("no one could see it from the start"). This seems likely, given how the past seems to constantly be with her in such a negative way ("can't block it out").
To me, the subject matter is grim, but the power of the lyrics here is incredible. With just a few words, they've captured the complicated tension of a grown woman's feelings as she's traveling home to visit a family whose past haunts her still.