A drunkard has been stood up by his girlfriend so he orders more drinks at an empty bar and calls friends to try to get some/any human connection. As he stumbles home after last call, he laments how his girlfriend “disappeared” on him. He can’t rely on anyone (or anything) to provide relief, even the “barely alive” streetlights only “help a little.” The last verse is in stark contrast to the earlier ones. Instead of bemoaning this lonely drunken night, he celebrates it and recognizes that “even times that don’t seem like much” - like tonight - will be his “only crutch” later on. “Time moves slow when you’re 17 and then it picks up steam at 21” is a telling line. The character in the song used to be a kid desperate to get out of his small “slow” town but now finds himself spiraling out of control - and yearns for a slower more centered existence. If he doesn’t find one he’s going to look back on this time as an older man and “remember when he loved someone” as the best memory of his life.
A drunkard has been stood up by his girlfriend so he orders more drinks at an empty bar and calls friends to try to get some/any human connection. As he stumbles home after last call, he laments how his girlfriend “disappeared” on him. He can’t rely on anyone (or anything) to provide relief, even the “barely alive” streetlights only “help a little.” The last verse is in stark contrast to the earlier ones. Instead of bemoaning this lonely drunken night, he celebrates it and recognizes that “even times that don’t seem like much” - like tonight - will be his “only crutch” later on. “Time moves slow when you’re 17 and then it picks up steam at 21” is a telling line. The character in the song used to be a kid desperate to get out of his small “slow” town but now finds himself spiraling out of control - and yearns for a slower more centered existence. If he doesn’t find one he’s going to look back on this time as an older man and “remember when he loved someone” as the best memory of his life.