From a literal standpoint, it seems that these lyrics are about a hobo and a rich person crossing paths on the street. I'd say they go a lot deeper than that, and deal with more psychological stuff. It's really about waking up and taking into account people who aren't as well off as you are. The rich person, upon seeing the hobo, starts to really think about their lifestyle. At first, they try to ignore him, but something tells them to not pretend that he's not there. The rich person starts putting themselves in the hobo's shoes, thinking about how his life must be and stuff. By the way, it's pretty clear at this point that the narrator of the song is the rich person's conscious telling them stuff they don't want to hear but know is true. Love the paint it black reference in this song. Fits pretty great.
From a literal standpoint, it seems that these lyrics are about a hobo and a rich person crossing paths on the street. I'd say they go a lot deeper than that, and deal with more psychological stuff. It's really about waking up and taking into account people who aren't as well off as you are. The rich person, upon seeing the hobo, starts to really think about their lifestyle. At first, they try to ignore him, but something tells them to not pretend that he's not there. The rich person starts putting themselves in the hobo's shoes, thinking about how his life must be and stuff. By the way, it's pretty clear at this point that the narrator of the song is the rich person's conscious telling them stuff they don't want to hear but know is true. Love the paint it black reference in this song. Fits pretty great.