What Does He Want of Me?

Song Meaning

The narrator grapples with the baffling actions and pronouncements of a man consumed by an idealistic vision. She questions the source and purpose of his behavior, particularly his pursuit of a dream that seems detached from reality. The imagery of him being "covered with glory and rusty old tin" suggests a noble but perhaps deluded quest, one that clashes with the mundane or even the absurd. This disconnect fuels her central confusion: what is the ultimate aim of his relentless, peculiar efforts? The core tension lies in the narrator's inability to comprehend the man's motivations, especially as they involve her. He speaks in archaic, flowery terms like "Sweet Dulcinea" and "Nethermost hem of thy garment I touch," which seem utterly out of place and create an expectation she cannot meet: "No one can be what he wants me to be." This highlights a fundamental mismatch between his idealized perception and her perceived reality, leaving her feeling inadequate and bewildered by his demands. The lyrics masterfully employ repetition and rhetorical questions to underscore the narrator's frustration and bewilderment. The insistent "Why does he...?" and "What does he want of me?" create a sense of circling, of being trapped in an unanswerable inquiry. The contrast between his idealistic giving ("Why does he give when it's natural to take?") and his futile efforts ("batter at walls that won't break") paints a portrait of someone driven by an internal logic that defies external sense. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their raw portrayal of exasperation and incomprehension. The narrator isn't necessarily judging the man's character, but rather the sheer strangeness of his existence as it intersects with hers. The repeated, almost desperate plea for understanding – "What does he want of me?" – resonates because it taps into the universal experience of encountering someone whose motivations remain stubbornly, maddeningly opaque.