I agree that it is about a relationship that has ended. I think the 'trick' or the sly, unexpected thing about it is that it begins as
if it is going to be about his own redemption in the wake of a relationship that didn't, evidently, end well for him/the first party. ("West of her is a place...I'd like to go"; "West of her there's another place..."). So the first roll on speaks to that--to his/the first party's going to that new place, with other faces that he will roll on towards. But then right after that the third verse has him feeling some doubt and resignation where it starts feeling like maybe he messed up because her voice is still inside his head and trying to outrun her kind of backfired. And then by the final verse it is like he is making some sort of apology to her, thinking she must imagine he doesn't care if she too is "rolling on" and getting letters from a new "somewhere" east of him. But then by the final line, the final 'roll on' he retreats a bit further into resign and remorse and on the basis of what he might have messed up, wishing her well somewhere east of him. The final "roll on" is, then, kind of for both of them.
Yes a really great song. There is a great live version he did at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR3SQAGebCg
I agree that it is about a relationship that has ended. I think the 'trick' or the sly, unexpected thing about it is that it begins as if it is going to be about his own redemption in the wake of a relationship that didn't, evidently, end well for him/the first party. ("West of her is a place...I'd like to go"; "West of her there's another place..."). So the first roll on speaks to that--to his/the first party's going to that new place, with other faces that he will roll on towards. But then right after that the third verse has him feeling some doubt and resignation where it starts feeling like maybe he messed up because her voice is still inside his head and trying to outrun her kind of backfired. And then by the final verse it is like he is making some sort of apology to her, thinking she must imagine he doesn't care if she too is "rolling on" and getting letters from a new "somewhere" east of him. But then by the final line, the final 'roll on' he retreats a bit further into resign and remorse and on the basis of what he might have messed up, wishing her well somewhere east of him. The final "roll on" is, then, kind of for both of them.