I agree with invisispider, there is that loss of innocence present here, but there is also the sense of acceptance of not knowing what's ahead. The "blackness" and the allusion to the constellations (possibly connecting back to Orion and his fate) give the impression that the narrator is not sheltered anymore, and even though fall is fading into winter, there is the comfort of knowing that someone is plunging through the darkness with him, not knowing what will happen ("not afraid of all that space...everything I need is written on your face"). The simplicity of the phrases evoke a quiet warmth ("wood smoke," "naked little trees," "a ladder that leaned against the hay") and the instrumentation, with the delicate guitar part, adds to this image.
There's no sense of urgency, just the wish to take life as it comes.
I agree with invisispider, there is that loss of innocence present here, but there is also the sense of acceptance of not knowing what's ahead. The "blackness" and the allusion to the constellations (possibly connecting back to Orion and his fate) give the impression that the narrator is not sheltered anymore, and even though fall is fading into winter, there is the comfort of knowing that someone is plunging through the darkness with him, not knowing what will happen ("not afraid of all that space...everything I need is written on your face"). The simplicity of the phrases evoke a quiet warmth ("wood smoke," "naked little trees," "a ladder that leaned against the hay") and the instrumentation, with the delicate guitar part, adds to this image.
There's no sense of urgency, just the wish to take life as it comes.
Lovely tune.