Lyrics
I look at you and see
I observe you and envision the life I could have had
My life that might have been
Your face appears faintly in the smoke, a symbolic image
Your face just ghostly in the smoke
Destruction is happening ("setting fire to the cornfields") as you accompany me home
They're setting fire to the cornfields
The scent of burning fields now symbolizes you and our connection
As you're taking me home
Expressing a desire to be in this moment with you
The smell of burning fields
Connection between the burning fields and the narrator's emotions
Will now mean you and here
Associating the smell of burning fields with the narrator's desire for a relationship
And this is where I want to be
Expressing a strong desire to be with the person
This is what I need
Stating what the narrator feels is necessary for them
This is where I want to be
Repetition of the desire to be in a specific place with the person
This is what I need
Reiterating what the narrator believes they need
This is where I want to be
Continued expression of the strong desire to be in a particular situation
But I know that this will never be mine
Acknowledgment that the desired situation will never be a reality
Ooh, the thrill and the hurting
An emotional mix of excitement and pain
The thrill and the hurting
Repetition emphasizing the simultaneous thrill and pain
I know that this will never be mine
Affirmation that the desired situation will never come to fruition
I want you as the dream
Expressing a preference for the person as an idealized dream rather than a reality
Not the reality
Contrasting the idealized dream with the less perfect reality
That clumsy goodbye kiss could fool me
A superficial farewell kiss could deceive, but reality tells a different story
But I'm looking back over my shoulder
Reflecting on the person being content without the narrator
At you, happy without me
(Empty line)
This is where I want to be
Expressing what the narrator strongly desires
This is what I need
Repetition of the narrator's perceived needs
This is where I want to be
Stating the desired location with emphasis
This is what I need
Reiteration of what the narrator believes is necessary for them
This is where I want to be
Expressing the strong desire to be in a particular situation
But I know that this will never be mine
Acknowledgment that the desired situation will never be a reality
Ooh, the thrill and the hurting
Repeating the mix of excitement and pain
Will never be mine
Affirmation that the simultaneous thrill and pain will never belong to the narrator
The thrill and the hurting
Repeating the theme of excitement and pain
It will never be mine
Affirmation that the desired situation is unattainable
It can never be
Emphasizing the impossibility of the desired situation
The thrill and the hurting
Repeating the mix of thrill and pain
Will never be mine
Acknowledgment that the thrill and pain will never be experienced by the narrator
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