This is a masterfully written song by Ben. On first impression, it seems to be about either unrequited love or a lost romantic love from long ago. But this song is about something far bigger than that. Ben is talking about the never-ending pursuit of a happy peaceful life. A key line is "You are the mistress I can't make a wife". A mistress is someone a person enjoys fleetingly - a few hours here and a few hours there. But she's not the person you share your life with/spend the days of your life with. Ben is saying he's experienced that peace & joy only fleetingly but he can never truly obtain it. He's been on the search for that true peace & happiness all his life - through hi career, his marriage to Zooey D etc... But he's come up short every time. He's not alone in that regard.
This is a masterfully written song by Ben. On first impression, it seems to be about either unrequited love or a lost romantic love from long ago. But this song is about something far bigger than that. Ben is talking about the never-ending pursuit of a happy peaceful life. A key line is "You are the mistress I can't make a wife". A mistress is someone a person enjoys fleetingly - a few hours here and a few hours there. But she's not the person you share your life with/spend the days of your life with. Ben is saying he's experienced that peace & joy only fleetingly but he can never truly obtain it. He's been on the search for that true peace & happiness all his life - through hi career, his marriage to Zooey D etc... But he's come up short every time. He's not alone in that regard.