When He's Gone
Love's Paradox: Embracing Absence
Lyrics
She sits alone and stares out the window, the thoughts pour out
She contemplates her thoughts while sitting alone and gazing out the window.
The morning sun pours in
The morning sunlight fills the room as a new day begins.
She paints a smile on her lips and looks at herself in the mirror
She puts on a fake smile and examines herself in the mirror, preparing for the day.
As her day begins
The routine of her day starts.
She scrubs in basins never clean, it won't wash off
She cleans in basins that never seem to get truly clean, symbolizing unresolved issues.
The smell of compromise
The lingering scent of compromise surrounds her.
He opens the door for her, there's kindness in his smile
He shows kindness by opening the door, but she dislikes the need she sees in his eyes.
But she loathes the need in his eyes
There's a conflict in her feelings toward him.
She can't stand to have him around
She can't tolerate his presence.
But she always misses him when he's gone
Despite that, she always feels his absence when he's gone.
She burns like an effigy when he's gone it makes her mad
Her emotions intensify like a burning effigy when he's away, fueling her anger.
How attached she's become
She acknowledges the depth of her attachment to him.
And if it were up to me, I'd prove her wrong, but it's too bad
The speaker, possibly an observer, expresses a desire to prove her wrong, but it's not possible ("It's someone else's song").
It's someone else's song
There's a sense of limitation or external influence preventing a resolution.
He might come home, after she's sleeping and quietly admire
He may return home unnoticed and quietly appreciate her peaceful expression while she sleeps.
The smile on her lips
He finds solace in the smile on her lips.
He crawls up beside her, she presses it all up against him
Intimacy is described as she presses against him in their shared dreams.
And dreams
(Blank line)
She can't stand to have him around
Reiteration of her inability to endure his presence.
But she always misses him when he's gone [x3]
Despite her aversion, the repeated line emphasizes her consistent longing for him during his absence.
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