I thought "to carry a torch" meant to continue to be infatuated with someone after the relationship ended. In the song, he and this girl are parted, but when she comes back (And the lover / Smiling for me / Without warning) he realizes how stupid it was to keep being obsessed with her after all that time because of whatever reason.
A torch isn't just love, it is unrequited love left over from a failed relationship.
I thought "to carry a torch" meant to continue to be infatuated with someone after the relationship ended. In the song, he and this girl are parted, but when she comes back (And the lover / Smiling for me / Without warning) he realizes how stupid it was to keep being obsessed with her after all that time because of whatever reason.
A torch isn't just love, it is unrequited love left over from a failed relationship.