I think this song is about changing your perception of the world, and your standards, as you get older.
The narrator is clearly dismissing "perfection" and "golden dreams" (like being the Duke of Earl or the Pony Express) as unreasonable and unobtainable. Youthful wishes. Trying to achieve things you can't will only leave you lonely and unhappy. It seems to take the narrator "so long" to finally learn that the more important things in life are truth and love and that's when the song breaks into its upbeat outro.
The narrator can't be beat at this point, because he isn't trying to obtain anything that he doesn't already have. He's happy and content. The reason he can't be beat isn't because he's invincible. It's because he isn't competing anymore.
I think this song is about changing your perception of the world, and your standards, as you get older.
The narrator is clearly dismissing "perfection" and "golden dreams" (like being the Duke of Earl or the Pony Express) as unreasonable and unobtainable. Youthful wishes. Trying to achieve things you can't will only leave you lonely and unhappy. It seems to take the narrator "so long" to finally learn that the more important things in life are truth and love and that's when the song breaks into its upbeat outro.
The narrator can't be beat at this point, because he isn't trying to obtain anything that he doesn't already have. He's happy and content. The reason he can't be beat isn't because he's invincible. It's because he isn't competing anymore.