Well put simply, I think this song is just about unforeseen consequences, in a love relationship the singer, thought would be for life but ended up being for not, after so many years passed, as well as the claustrophobic imprisoning feeling a lot people can get when settling down with someone and having to devote themselves to only that one person and family they had with that person. The second verse kinda says it all. The singer sounds like he feels maybe he rushed things too much with this women, and didn't really realize it until after many years passed. Its kinda funny how I can relate to this song a bit. Now that I'm almost 24, I always see the people I grew up with, all getting married, having kids, buying a house, settling down. The funny thing is a lot of the people I still talk to, really seem unsatisfied with that kinda life. They were all in such a rush to get married and have kids, and then all of a sudden they start to think "what now?" "sit here as me and my wife get older and less attractive looking?" over time that really can ware a person down, and in this case, the singer ended up divorced because of it, and now he's trying to repress his guilt and regret for all of it by "passing the time with his pride". The whole "how do you tell the dancer from the dance" is another thing that's actually a very simple meaning. Hes simply asking "how could he have seen any of this coming?" "how do you know when you first meet a man or women you really really like, that you're gonna feel that way a couple years from now or more?" There are a great many dancers in the world, all with different dances, some more spectacular than others. How do you know you're going to like a certain dance after seeing in 1000 times? Its something you really must look at choose very carefully when you do, as is love. If you try and rush love this song will more than likely be your fate.
Well put simply, I think this song is just about unforeseen consequences, in a love relationship the singer, thought would be for life but ended up being for not, after so many years passed, as well as the claustrophobic imprisoning feeling a lot people can get when settling down with someone and having to devote themselves to only that one person and family they had with that person. The second verse kinda says it all. The singer sounds like he feels maybe he rushed things too much with this women, and didn't really realize it until after many years passed. Its kinda funny how I can relate to this song a bit. Now that I'm almost 24, I always see the people I grew up with, all getting married, having kids, buying a house, settling down. The funny thing is a lot of the people I still talk to, really seem unsatisfied with that kinda life. They were all in such a rush to get married and have kids, and then all of a sudden they start to think "what now?" "sit here as me and my wife get older and less attractive looking?" over time that really can ware a person down, and in this case, the singer ended up divorced because of it, and now he's trying to repress his guilt and regret for all of it by "passing the time with his pride". The whole "how do you tell the dancer from the dance" is another thing that's actually a very simple meaning. Hes simply asking "how could he have seen any of this coming?" "how do you know when you first meet a man or women you really really like, that you're gonna feel that way a couple years from now or more?" There are a great many dancers in the world, all with different dances, some more spectacular than others. How do you know you're going to like a certain dance after seeing in 1000 times? Its something you really must look at choose very carefully when you do, as is love. If you try and rush love this song will more than likely be your fate.