I realize my analysis above was probably incorrect because of the chorus. "Let's go down to Normal Town" suggests that they are looking to get OUT of Boston rather than stay. "Running out at both ends" probably means that it's not working out for either one of them there and they should leave. It could mean that they are both running out of money. And "both ends" specifically may refer to the two areas of Boston that he mentions: Back Bay and South End. Now that I see this part of it, I think there may be a stronger case for it being fact-based because this is a much more realistic dilemma. It could be that the CIA and running away from Miss Porter's are just outrageous metaphors for a relatively normal story. "CIA" could refer to dreams and ambitions that aren't coming true for them in Boston and running away from the school could be just wanting to get away. Ultimately, we will never know for sure what's going on in this song but it's such a great song that it's certainly worth taking the time to wonder what it means.
I realize my analysis above was probably incorrect because of the chorus. "Let's go down to Normal Town" suggests that they are looking to get OUT of Boston rather than stay. "Running out at both ends" probably means that it's not working out for either one of them there and they should leave. It could mean that they are both running out of money. And "both ends" specifically may refer to the two areas of Boston that he mentions: Back Bay and South End. Now that I see this part of it, I think there may be a stronger case for it being fact-based because this is a much more realistic dilemma. It could be that the CIA and running away from Miss Porter's are just outrageous metaphors for a relatively normal story. "CIA" could refer to dreams and ambitions that aren't coming true for them in Boston and running away from the school could be just wanting to get away. Ultimately, we will never know for sure what's going on in this song but it's such a great song that it's certainly worth taking the time to wonder what it means.