adamd

know a man, his face seems pulled and tense
like he's riding on a motorbike in the strongest winds
so i approach with tact
suggest that he should relax
but he's always moving much too fast
said he'll see me on the flipside
on this trip he's taken for a ride
he's been taking too much on
there he goes with his perfectly unkept clothes
there he goes...
he's yet to come back
but i've seen his picture
it doesn't look the same up on the rack
we go way back
i wonder about his insides
its like his thoughts are too big for his size
he's been taken... where, i don't know?
off he goes with his perfectly unkept hope
and there he goes...
and now i rub my eyes, for he has returned
seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned
for he still smiles...
and he's still strong
nothing's changed, but the surrounding bullshit that has grown
and now he's home
and we're laughing like we always did
my same old, same old friend
until a quarter-to-ten
i saw the strain creep in
he seems distracted and i know just what is gonna happen next
before his first step
he's off again

to me this is about somebody who sees that their friend is going through a very difficult time, is stressed out or depressed or sick or has too many responsibilities and consequently doesn't give his full being when they are together. I think about this song when I'm going through a rough period; your friends can tell when you are not all there (last 8 lines). They care but don't always know how to handle it, especially sticky or delicate situations. It's important to give of yourself to others if you want them to do the same to you. Sometimes I get caught up in my own little world and don't do that. Not as much lately, though.