I'm thinking this song is about being trapped in a world that doesn't feel like home. Paul Gauguin painted in places he could never be a part of. Some of us don't feel we belong in this modern time. However, he knows he can't be a part of any other time. "It takes all my will not to turn it off." Turning it off wouldn't make him feel any more at home. I guess ultimately it's about hope in the person he's singing the last verse to.
I'm thinking this song is about being trapped in a world that doesn't feel like home. Paul Gauguin painted in places he could never be a part of. Some of us don't feel we belong in this modern time. However, he knows he can't be a part of any other time. "It takes all my will not to turn it off." Turning it off wouldn't make him feel any more at home. I guess ultimately it's about hope in the person he's singing the last verse to.