I remember this song as a kid and I always thought this song was biographical. He'd enjoyed a well-documented classic 70s rock and roll groupie life, going from city to city "collecting lovers like butterflies" and I think by the time he wrote this, that lifestyle was "wearing thin", he was burned out on casual sex and it was time to move on to the next phase of his life. This is supported by the fact that the song was released in 1978 and in 1979 he married his first wife, Alana.
Though I like the interpretations of "verse 7" here, I think it's just a clever way for him to say he doesn't even know if he's capable of being sincere anymore, so he defaults to telling you "what you you want to hear."
I remember this song as a kid and I always thought this song was biographical. He'd enjoyed a well-documented classic 70s rock and roll groupie life, going from city to city "collecting lovers like butterflies" and I think by the time he wrote this, that lifestyle was "wearing thin", he was burned out on casual sex and it was time to move on to the next phase of his life. This is supported by the fact that the song was released in 1978 and in 1979 he married his first wife, Alana.
Though I like the interpretations of "verse 7" here, I think it's just a clever way for him to say he doesn't even know if he's capable of being sincere anymore, so he defaults to telling you "what you you want to hear."