Back to Stay
Homecoming Melody: Love Rediscovered in 'Back to Stay' by John Martyn
Lyrics
Although I've been away so many lonely nights
Expressing the speaker's absence during numerous lonely nights.
You know I'm back today
Confirming the return of the speaker on the current day.
I'm back to stay in your arms
Declaring the intention to stay in the arms of the listener.
And though I've been around and lived
Acknowledging a past filled with experiences and a life previously claimed to be loved.
The life I said I loved you know without you
Admitting that life is not fulfilling without the listener.
Honey, all I do is worth nothing
Stating that all the speaker does is deemed worthless without the listener.
And girlie, don't cry for me
Advising the listener not to cry for the speaker.
Although there might be other
Acknowledging the presence of other people in the speaker's life but asserting the listener's significance.
People in my life honey, on my mind
Expressing that the listener is always on the speaker's mind.
You will always find there's only you
Reassuring the listener that, despite other people, they are the primary focus.
And though you say you'll journey
Recognizing the listener's potential journey to a foreign land.
To some foreign land i'll remember you
Promising to remember the listener and stay true to their memory.
Yes, and I'll be true to your memory
Committing to fidelity in memory of the listener.
And girlie, don't cry for me
Reiterating the advice for the listener not to cry for the speaker.
And when, at last
Anticipating the listener's eventual return.
You do come wandering home to me
Imagining a reunion after a significant time apart.
I might look at you
Hinting at a reserved reaction when the listener returns.
But it will be through the weeks between
Reflecting on the time gap between the speaker and the listener.
And when I hold you
Envisaging holding the listener, but uncertainty about having the same person as before.
It might not be you I have
Suggesting potential changes in the speaker and the listener over time.
In the passing days
Reflecting on the passing days and the possibility of transformation.
We might both have changed to something new
Addressing the potential changes in both the speaker and the listener.
And girlie, don't cry for me
Reiterating the advice for the listener not to cry for the speaker, despite potential changes.
And though I've been away
Repeating the theme of the speaker being away during lonely nights.
So many lonely nights
Confirming the return of the speaker after numerous lonely nights.
You know I'm back today
Reiterating the speaker's intention to stay in the listener's arms.
I'm back to stay in your arms
Expressing the speaker's commitment to staying with the listener.
And though I've been around and lived
Recalling a past life without the listener.
The life I said I loved you know without you
Affirming the worthlessness of the speaker's actions without the listener.
Honey, all I do is worth nothing
Stressing the importance of the listener in making the speaker's actions meaningful.
And girlie, don't cry for me
Final repetition of the advice for the listener not to cry for the speaker.
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