First I'll start with a couple of corrections as I hear them in the song:
"Things that you have seen this night that run by that the river's flow" should be:
"Things that you have seen this night runs by that river's flow"
"I can use you if you're in the flame, I'm a growin' old" should be:
"I can't use you if you're in the flame, I'm a growin' old"
"As when I set my eyes and torched the plans on the mark of you" should be:
"As when I set my eyes on torched up lands of the mark of you"
"She said you follow me like sheep that think this king could do some harm" should be:
"She said you follow me like shep that think this cane could do some harm"
"If pain and awful romance then this mornin' is for us" should be:
"If evenings are for romance then this morning is for us"
There are a couple other lines I'm not sure of either like "the mirage beneath" sounds to me like "the Pirogenes" which I searched and couldn't find anything for. Same goes for "with a sister's heart" sounds to me like "with Zisser's arm" but couldn't find anything for that either. Just a couple of points where being sure of the lyrics might bring more clarity to the interpretation.
Otherwise, I see it like this.
First verse: She needs to leave and soothes him by telling him to think about "softer dreams" instead of the harder things that are real and in front of them. She's pulling the plug but wants to soften the blow for him. There was something natural that brought them together, the "things that you have seen this night" that "run by the river's flow" but she's past it now (growing old) and can't deal with it if he's still so impassioned.
Second verse: Sounds like he's trying to convince himself he can handle being alone. He doesn't just claim he's sailed the dark sea at that point, he mentions that he's said it in the past. What is the mirage beneath the waves? The depth of his sadness or loneliness? I'm not sure. I think the next lines are him trying to say he thinks he's found someone just like him. He's good with the "torched up lands" or perhaps maybe her baggage?
Third verse: She says she will never hurt him even if he is having trouble letting go or acting like a "sheep" following her around. She's still concerned though, but not as a lover. I think maybe she doesn't want to leave, but every time she sees an end to his pattern, "seeing the shore", whenever he finally comes out of it, it doesn't matter because even when he sees the light he doesn't know how to act on it.
Fourth verse: He probably knows better as well, and knows it won't work, but he's being stubborn because he loves her. He's not ready to give up even though she clearly is. He's trying to insist she stay, and maybe is a little childish saying that the movie will be a "never ran" and if she leaves their dreams together will die.
Main chorus: This is her stance. She knows it's not what he wants, but it's just how the cookie crumbles, or how the "lawns dry". She doesn't want that "summer dream" anymore and she's acknowledging it.
Final chorus: This is his final, reluctant acceptance, but he's still stuck in it. The drying of the lawns want to leave him there. He sees no way out at present.
So, maybe not the best interpretation, and of course most of the best songs are vague and leave you guessing, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm way off base. I just had to take a stab at it because I like this song a lot.
First I'll start with a couple of corrections as I hear them in the song:
"Things that you have seen this night that run by that the river's flow" should be: "Things that you have seen this night runs by that river's flow"
"I can use you if you're in the flame, I'm a growin' old" should be: "I can't use you if you're in the flame, I'm a growin' old"
"As when I set my eyes and torched the plans on the mark of you" should be: "As when I set my eyes on torched up lands of the mark of you"
"She said you follow me like sheep that think this king could do some harm" should be: "She said you follow me like shep that think this cane could do some harm"
"If pain and awful romance then this mornin' is for us" should be: "If evenings are for romance then this morning is for us"
There are a couple other lines I'm not sure of either like "the mirage beneath" sounds to me like "the Pirogenes" which I searched and couldn't find anything for. Same goes for "with a sister's heart" sounds to me like "with Zisser's arm" but couldn't find anything for that either. Just a couple of points where being sure of the lyrics might bring more clarity to the interpretation.
Otherwise, I see it like this.
First verse: She needs to leave and soothes him by telling him to think about "softer dreams" instead of the harder things that are real and in front of them. She's pulling the plug but wants to soften the blow for him. There was something natural that brought them together, the "things that you have seen this night" that "run by the river's flow" but she's past it now (growing old) and can't deal with it if he's still so impassioned.
Second verse: Sounds like he's trying to convince himself he can handle being alone. He doesn't just claim he's sailed the dark sea at that point, he mentions that he's said it in the past. What is the mirage beneath the waves? The depth of his sadness or loneliness? I'm not sure. I think the next lines are him trying to say he thinks he's found someone just like him. He's good with the "torched up lands" or perhaps maybe her baggage?
Third verse: She says she will never hurt him even if he is having trouble letting go or acting like a "sheep" following her around. She's still concerned though, but not as a lover. I think maybe she doesn't want to leave, but every time she sees an end to his pattern, "seeing the shore", whenever he finally comes out of it, it doesn't matter because even when he sees the light he doesn't know how to act on it.
Fourth verse: He probably knows better as well, and knows it won't work, but he's being stubborn because he loves her. He's not ready to give up even though she clearly is. He's trying to insist she stay, and maybe is a little childish saying that the movie will be a "never ran" and if she leaves their dreams together will die.
Main chorus: This is her stance. She knows it's not what he wants, but it's just how the cookie crumbles, or how the "lawns dry". She doesn't want that "summer dream" anymore and she's acknowledging it.
Final chorus: This is his final, reluctant acceptance, but he's still stuck in it. The drying of the lawns want to leave him there. He sees no way out at present.
So, maybe not the best interpretation, and of course most of the best songs are vague and leave you guessing, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm way off base. I just had to take a stab at it because I like this song a lot.