To me this song represents the story of a broken man who has been through a lot. Life has beaten him down, so he's become this sort of scummy person. People never thought he would amount to much until he met this perfect, glistening, woman who showed interest in him. They fell in love for a short time (I loved you in springtime) but then she discovered all his faults, and their relationship ended (I lost you when summer came). He was hoping that he could fix himself with this "perfect" woman and that her love would heal him (I wanted to, I needed to, to make me better). The woman ends up not being perfect either (But we're not so starry-eyed anymore/Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters). He had put her on a pedestal and thought she would love him no matter what, but she was a (flawed) human too and didn't live up to his dreamy expectations. That's why they broke up and he's broken still/again.
To me this song represents the story of a broken man who has been through a lot. Life has beaten him down, so he's become this sort of scummy person. People never thought he would amount to much until he met this perfect, glistening, woman who showed interest in him. They fell in love for a short time (I loved you in springtime) but then she discovered all his faults, and their relationship ended (I lost you when summer came). He was hoping that he could fix himself with this "perfect" woman and that her love would heal him (I wanted to, I needed to, to make me better). The woman ends up not being perfect either (But we're not so starry-eyed anymore/Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters). He had put her on a pedestal and thought she would love him no matter what, but she was a (flawed) human too and didn't live up to his dreamy expectations. That's why they broke up and he's broken still/again.