I've never heard another song as full of profound yearning as this one. It's complex, like most of Amos's songs. But it seems to me that on a basic level, it's about longing to follow and call back a loved one lost to death--possibly suicide. It works on a lot of metaphorical levels as well, even simply grieving for a long-lost relationship. Missing the innocent happiness of childhood somehow comes into this song too. The repeated refrain of endlessly chasing something terribly important that one can never catch (rather like in the old song "Elusive Butterfly") is very dreamlike and poignant. Love this song.
I've never heard another song as full of profound yearning as this one. It's complex, like most of Amos's songs. But it seems to me that on a basic level, it's about longing to follow and call back a loved one lost to death--possibly suicide. It works on a lot of metaphorical levels as well, even simply grieving for a long-lost relationship. Missing the innocent happiness of childhood somehow comes into this song too. The repeated refrain of endlessly chasing something terribly important that one can never catch (rather like in the old song "Elusive Butterfly") is very dreamlike and poignant. Love this song.