Song Meaning
The lyrics open with a seemingly straightforward promise to return home "tomorrow," driven by a clear desire to reconnect with a past comfort and a specific person. There's an immediate sense of eager anticipation, even a hint of desperation in the need to "Money I shall borrow" to make this journey happen.
Yet, this hopeful return is immediately complicated by a crucial, recurring condition: "Until, such time / When I know that you can be mine / I'll always be..." The speaker's journey home, and perhaps their very sense of belonging, hinges on this unresolved relationship. This creates a deep emotional tension, suggesting the return isn't just about physical travel but about achieving a desired relational state.
The repeated phrase "Flying home tomorrow" initially sounds like a firm commitment, a definite plan. However, its constant reiteration, especially after the speaker admits, "But when will tomorrow be / I can't tell for sure," transforms its meaning entirely. What starts as a promise becomes a perpetual state of longing, an ironic deferral of the very future it announces. The speaker is caught in a loop, always *about* to go home, but never quite arriving.
This lyrical sleight of hand—promising a future that might never arrive—is what makes the piece so effective. It captures the bittersweet reality of holding onto a dream, a home, or a relationship that remains just out of reach, always "tomorrow," always contingent, always just a flight away but never quite landed. The speaker is suspended in an emotional limbo, forever preparing for a return that feels both imminent and impossible.