Middle Distance Runner

I know a lot of people have interpreted this song as being about a relationship, and it is, I think, in a way, but I've always really felt that it's more about the narrator struggling with depression.

'Well I'm so sad tonight And the words won't come out right It's been a long day on the track And it's stamina that I lack'

He starts out by saying that tonight he's really struggling with his sadness, that it's hard to communicate what he's feeling, then goes on to say that his day on the track was exhausting. This is where the 'runner' metaphor for his depression begins. Running on a track is boring and there's often very little variation. He's saying that he's uninterested in life, and having to go through the motions is exhausting.

The chorus is interesting:

'So won't you run to me tonight? Tonight we could pretend that we're just lovers But I'll only ever be a middle distance runner'

Asking her to run to him is his way of asking for help. He's exhausted and cannot go to her, so he asks her to come to him. The second line could mean that they have a much deeper bond, and that they could pretend that they're 'just' lovers. But the last line is the core of the metaphor: I'll only ever be a middle distance runner.

'Well my heart is beating hard And I'm off with a shot at the start And my legs tremble from strain But by the finish line l am drained'

This is him explaining that he started too quickly in the 'race,' in other words, in life. He tried to function normally, tried to keep up a quick pace, tried to keep up appearances, but by the end of the day, he could barely walk anymore.

'So won't you run to me tonight? Tonight let's not talk about next summer Cause I'll only ever be a middle distance runner'

This is, I think, where the metaphor really comes together. He asks her to reach out to him again, then says he's unable to talk about next summer. Combined with the previous verse about starting too quickly, we can really see how he's a middle distance runner, unable to sprint but incapable of enduring. Part of the reason I believe this song is about depression is because of my own experience with it. It's hard to get out of bed sometimes, to 'sprint' or start a day strongly, but it's impossible to think about the future. How can you when you can barely survive day to day?

'Well I'm so proud tonight Of the woman you've become And I'm just too tired to fight So my darling, I'll succumb'

This final verse is haunting. He's proud of his lover for all her accomplishments, he admires and cherishes her, but he's tired. Depression saps you of energy, makes you believe that living just isn't worth it, so he says he's too tired to fight that belief anymore and says he'll succumb. In other words, he's saying goodbye, and, in the final chorus, that he'll love her forever.

I know that life experiences inform interpretations of art and music, and this is only my interpretation. But since the very first time I heard this song, it really resonated with me, because I've felt the same bone-weary exhaustion he speaks about.