Lyric discussion by Commandeer 

Cover art for Man on Fire lyrics by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

A "man on fire" will certainly attrack attention on any street anywhere in the world. But, why is he on fire? I believe the singer is going through a purification process that burns off anything that is not love.

In my assessment, this song is mostly about the process of transformation and the singers "one desire left in me" is to help with the transforming all who can hear his song as he is "Walking through your street, with one guitar and two dancing feet."

It's his desire (proof of desire is pursuit) to pursue people with his message (song) that have experienced "heartache and rage, heartache and shame" that they do not have to continue life with these pointless emotions that burden and pollute the mind and soul.

His words of love can "Come and set us free" is to loosen the bonds, shackles and hinderances of a selfish love that has entangled and damned the world.

If the listener realizes, the singer moves through various types of "love; "Everybody want safety (safety love), most peoples basic need is to be safe and secure,in their surroundings which may or may not include other people, safety love. It may include a bridge or a cardboard box to sleep under, a very basic need, or safety. "Everybody want comfort (comfort love)" then their second need is to comforted, to be soothed in time of affliction or distress. This could be food, perhaps an addiction, but still, it is for the individual and self only. "Everybody want certain (certain love)", And then, only when these very basic needs are met, one may get a revelation of a very particular type of love, a love that brings people together, a certainty that is established beyond doubt.

This is where faith and grace comes together, a blessed assurance

Even though the transformation is begining, it isn't completely satisfied until the verse, "I wanna know what we’ve been learning and learning from," there are many teachers in the "whole damn world" some good, some not so good, some great, some greater. The singer wants to know the source of "what we've been learning and learning from", because something is about to change. "Everybody want romance (romance love)", the person who desires "romance love" is thinking outside of self and is inviting an object or someone of desire to share his knowledge and experiences with as he or she pursues "romantic...

I think this is pretty spot on.