The Actor

Always loved this song, the bass is almost sinister, whilst the flute soars like a bird.

Anyway. Meaning. I hear a lonely songwriter who for some reason, can't be with a woman he loves. Maybe the first verse is a simple reflection on his fake stage persona as the lead singer of the Moody Blues,when he actually prefers songwriting on his own. Maybe it's more personal than that, and he's trying to keep up a facade in public, but there's some personal problem he really wants to express. Either way, there's worry and pressure in those lyrics. And he knows he's pretending. He looks forward to sleep as respite from those telephones, traffic, and fears. He wants to put out his problems with the cat. What's he worried about?

'The sound I hear in your hello' suggests he doesn't get much more than 'hello' from the lady in question, but boy, the plaintive soaring cries on the next lines tell the real story. He feels a lot of longing for 'hello ' woman. Why are they apart with so little contact ? Is she an unrequited love? Does he feel more for her than she does for him? Did they only meet briefly, which is why she tries to 'recall his face?' Was it a brief illicit affair, and she's someone else's partner?

Then he paints the picture of the rainy afternoon, he's sitting on his own. And he's thinking of her, also sitting alone on this rainy afternoon. A feeling deep inside her grows. Is this just wishful thinking on his part? Or. Does he know that they both long for each other but can't be together?

Or another thought. That deep feeling inside her. Is she pregnant with his child? It would explain the worrying.