Humidity Built the Snowman

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of lingering thoughts about a past relationship, framed by the mundane rituals of everyday life. The narrator questions if a past lover still thinks of them, observing that even simple actions like lighting or blowing out candles seem to trigger these memories. This suggests a persistent emotional echo, where ordinary moments become loaded with unspoken history. The narrator acknowledges a kind of stoic resignation, noting that the 'ordinary man' simply tries to 'do the best you can' despite these internal currents. The central tension lies in the narrator's awareness of the other person's potential unawareness, a complex layer of knowing and not knowing. The repeated phrase 'I don't think that you know / That I think you don't know' highlights this intricate dynamic, suggesting a subtle, perhaps unacknowledged, emotional landscape. This is mirrored in the weather imagery, where the barometer reacts to snow, a natural phenomenon that, like feelings, can be unpredictable and significant, even if not fully grasped by everyone. The striking metaphor of the snowman is key to understanding the emotional arc. 'Humidity built the snowman / Sunshine brought him down' offers a poignant, almost scientific, explanation for creation and dissolution. It implies that something fragile and perhaps inevitable was constructed (the snowman, the relationship, the memory) only to be undone by a force that seems natural and unavoidable (sunshine, time, change). The narrator's decision 'You won't find me walking / Around your part of town' reinforces this acceptance of inevitable decline and the choice to avoid places that might trigger further emotional complexity. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their grounded, almost detached observation of emotional truth. By linking profound feelings to everyday actions and natural phenomena, the song captures a sense of quiet melancholy and the inherent processes of building up and breaking down. The repeated refrain about the snowman and the barometer serves as a constant reminder of these cycles, making the personal feel both specific and universally understood through simple, evocative imagery.