Full Fledged Strangers (2020)

Song Meaning

These lyrics plunge into the mind of a narrator grappling with an inescapable presence, a "you" that infiltrates their dreams and days. Despite a world of "river of kin" and "full-fledged strangers," this one person remains a constant, almost haunting, fixture. The emotional landscape is one of internal conflict and a journey stalled. The central tension arises from this persistent individual, who "think[s] you know me" and believes their "sincerity" will eventually win through. Yet, the narrator feels trapped, describing how "the way on is no longer clear" and "the bridge is out." This imagery suggests a path forward that has been deliberately cut off or has collapsed, leaving them in a dark, alluring, but dangerous set of "woods." The repetition of "you are there in my dreams / And in my days like you've always been" powerfully conveys the inescapable nature of this person's influence. This is sharply contrasted with the narrator's carefully defined social circles – a "river of kin, a footbridge of neighbors" – which makes the "full-fledged strangers" of the wider world, and implicitly the "you," feel even more intrusive and destabilizing. The chorus, with its repeated lament, "I'm waiting and there's still no one to meet my train," captures a profound sense of abandonment and self-blame. The narrator's eventual decision to "take one step back" and "pull the wool back over your eyes" suggests a painful, deliberate act of detachment. It's a move to protect themselves, even if it means acknowledging that "love is love—it coulda gone either way" and that sometimes, love itself "walks away."