this is about human desire to find what makes you happy and having the drive and will power to achieve it.
"when I walk beside her, I am the better man. when I go to leave her, I always stagger back again" meaning when he has that drive for success he is the better man for it and there is always a portion of that drive in him that he never fully loses.
" there's a big
a big hard sun
beaten on the big people
in the big hard world" this is a metaphor that you cannot escape from life on this earth, that everyone alive has struggles
"when she comes to greet me
she is mercy at my feet" is saying that his desire for happiness is only a benefit to him and will never do him harm or wrongdoing and he is the only one that can benefit from it.
"once I sought an early grave
to find a better land
she just smiled and laughed at me
and took her blues back again" refers to a dark time when he was thinking of suicide but his will to live took over and took the bad feelings away
"when I go to cross that river
she is comfort by my side
when I try to understand
she just opens up her hands" this is saying that this is what gets him through tough times and why he desires to change for the better, and although he doesn't fully understand where its coming from, its always with him to help him
"once I stood to lose her
when I saw what I had done
bound down and flew away the hours
of her garden and her sun" is saying he almost had given up on himself at time and lost all hope and had to work twice as hard to be a good person and make the right decisions
"so I tried to warn her
i'll turn to see her weep
40 days and 40 nights
and it's still coming down on me" ignoring your inner good and making a decision that you know is wrong and hurtful can have severe consequences and the guilt can last a very long time
this is about human desire to find what makes you happy and having the drive and will power to achieve it.
"when I walk beside her, I am the better man. when I go to leave her, I always stagger back again" meaning when he has that drive for success he is the better man for it and there is always a portion of that drive in him that he never fully loses.
" there's a big a big hard sun beaten on the big people in the big hard world" this is a metaphor that you cannot escape from life on this earth, that everyone alive has struggles
"when she comes to greet me she is mercy at my feet" is saying that his desire for happiness is only a benefit to him and will never do him harm or wrongdoing and he is the only one that can benefit from it.
"once I sought an early grave to find a better land she just smiled and laughed at me and took her blues back again" refers to a dark time when he was thinking of suicide but his will to live took over and took the bad feelings away
"when I go to cross that river she is comfort by my side when I try to understand she just opens up her hands" this is saying that this is what gets him through tough times and why he desires to change for the better, and although he doesn't fully understand where its coming from, its always with him to help him
"once I stood to lose her when I saw what I had done bound down and flew away the hours of her garden and her sun" is saying he almost had given up on himself at time and lost all hope and had to work twice as hard to be a good person and make the right decisions
"so I tried to warn her i'll turn to see her weep 40 days and 40 nights and it's still coming down on me" ignoring your inner good and making a decision that you know is wrong and hurtful can have severe consequences and the guilt can last a very long time