Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of love's return, not as a gentle breeze, but as a recurring, somewhat reckless visitor. This love "returns each time thinner" and "with a face of vice," even smelling of "Zotal," a disinfectant, suggesting a potent, perhaps even dangerous, but ultimately welcomed presence. Despite its questionable character, the narrator embraces it, declaring, "I love him like a son." This framing sets up a complex relationship where love is both a source of trouble and an indispensable part of life. When this love reappears, the narrator undergoes a noticeable transformation. Daily routines shift: shaving becomes regular, dirty clothes are put away, and cooking for two becomes the norm. The narrator even improves their cooking skills, specifically mentioning making "better rice," and feels they "smell better." This suggests that love's return prompts a desire for self-improvement and a return to order and care, even learning "a couple of new tricks / To make love." It’s a domestic renaissance spurred by affection's comeback. The lyrics then shift to a more abstract, almost magical effect of love's return: "as if by enchantment, everyone seems / More handsome and better." This heightened perception blurs the lines between friend and foe, making it harder to "distinguish the enemy." This is where the song introduces a cautionary undertone, a plea against this love's destructive potential: "And that it doesn't come / And that it doesn't return / To eat your heart." The repeated refrain and the stark declaration, "Yours it is, mine no," highlight a possessiveness and a fear of losing oneself to this overwhelming, consuming force. The final verses employ powerful, contrasting metaphors to describe love's impact. It's an "incendio" for the narrator's coldness, a "cold drop" for their dryness, a "tidal wave" for their calm, and a "lobotomy" for their madness. These extreme comparisons emphasize love's disruptive, transformative power, capable of turning ordinary moments into significant events. The plea to the "guardian angel" to "not leave me alone / Neither at night nor by day" underscores the deep-seated fear of loneliness that makes the narrator cling to this volatile, yet vital, love.