"I remember the way, driving home late,"...she is on her way home late one night and she is remembering the way to someone's house, possibly thinking of how it would play out if she drove there right at that moment.
"I was rehearsing a part
From down at the bar" probably means that the last time she saw this person she was trying to get up the nerve to say something.
"my mouth smelled like a drink, we were laughing i think" she was drunk so she either didnt get to say it or it came out sounding more like a joke so the person didnt take her seriously.
when she says "Do you pick up the phone Do you check your mail,
Do you answer your door even if it's late?" she is wondering if he would've answered if she had called or wrote him. As she already stated, its late and she wonders if he would still come to the door at that hour and be okay with it.
When she says "I don't know who to call,
I don't know who to write,
And I think I forgot
What your face looks like" it sounds like she doesn't feel close to anyone to call or write but she thinks of him so she mustve felt close to this person. And since she cant remember his face so well, she must've went away for a long time after they last saw each other.
Then she says "do you think i changed? i swear i never tried" She wonders if he would think she is different now. She sounds apologetic for if she did change. cuz if she changed, theres a chance he wouldnt see her the same anymore, perhaps not feel the same way about her as before.
"memory is a terrible thing when you use it right" is my favourite line. what she means is that when someone meets up with you after a long time, they only know how you used to be so even if you changed just a lil, it might seem like a big change to them. this can work against someone, which kathleen seems to think is the case in her situation.
she keeps repeating "ive been away" bringing this to be the focus of the song. this lyric helps divide the song in parts ; her memory of this place, wondering how it would play out if she contacted this person after so long, and lastly - that she has been gone a long time and is now back, so this returns us to the present which is her driving back from whatever took her away in the first place.i assume this would be her music career.just a guess though:P
"I remember the way, driving home late,"...she is on her way home late one night and she is remembering the way to someone's house, possibly thinking of how it would play out if she drove there right at that moment.
"I was rehearsing a part From down at the bar" probably means that the last time she saw this person she was trying to get up the nerve to say something.
"my mouth smelled like a drink, we were laughing i think" she was drunk so she either didnt get to say it or it came out sounding more like a joke so the person didnt take her seriously.
when she says "Do you pick up the phone Do you check your mail, Do you answer your door even if it's late?" she is wondering if he would've answered if she had called or wrote him. As she already stated, its late and she wonders if he would still come to the door at that hour and be okay with it.
When she says "I don't know who to call, I don't know who to write, And I think I forgot What your face looks like" it sounds like she doesn't feel close to anyone to call or write but she thinks of him so she mustve felt close to this person. And since she cant remember his face so well, she must've went away for a long time after they last saw each other.
Then she says "do you think i changed? i swear i never tried" She wonders if he would think she is different now. She sounds apologetic for if she did change. cuz if she changed, theres a chance he wouldnt see her the same anymore, perhaps not feel the same way about her as before. "memory is a terrible thing when you use it right" is my favourite line. what she means is that when someone meets up with you after a long time, they only know how you used to be so even if you changed just a lil, it might seem like a big change to them. this can work against someone, which kathleen seems to think is the case in her situation. she keeps repeating "ive been away" bringing this to be the focus of the song. this lyric helps divide the song in parts ; her memory of this place, wondering how it would play out if she contacted this person after so long, and lastly - that she has been gone a long time and is now back, so this returns us to the present which is her driving back from whatever took her away in the first place.i assume this would be her music career.just a guess though:P