Start Today Tomorrow

Song Meaning

The lyrics open in a city trapped under a "summer rain... never gonna stop," painting a vivid picture of stagnation. Amidst this relentless downpour, the narrator sits isolated, "Wonderin' if I'm gonna last much longer." This immediate sense of weariness and existential doubt sets a melancholic tone, introducing the central, ironic promise to "start today tomorrow." A core tension emerges from the narrator's profound sense of déjà vu, "so damn sure That I've been here before." This feeling of being caught in a loop fuels a desire for change, expressed as a need to "give back what I borrowed" or "rise above my sorrow." Yet, the repeated refrain of "start today tomorrow" reveals a deep-seated struggle with procrastination, a perpetual deferral of action that keeps the narrator trapped in this familiar emotional landscape. The narrative takes an intriguing turn with the introduction of another person, observed intimately: "I've been watching over you Watchin' while you're sleepin'." This shift from internal rumination to external, almost voyeuristic, focus complicates the narrator's state. Visions of "you when you were sixteen" and the feeling of having "always known you" suggest a deep, perhaps unrequited or unresolved, connection that might be intertwined with the narrator's own stagnation and the elusive promise of a new beginning. Ultimately, these lyrics powerfully capture the human tendency to postpone significant change, even when the external world shifts. The initial "nature's fury" of the rain gives way to "The rain's gone Here come the swallows," a clear sign of renewal. Despite this external invitation to move forward, the final echo of "Let's start today tomorrow" leaves the listener with a sense of unresolved longing. It suggests that true change often requires more than just a break in the weather; it demands an internal shift the narrator is still struggling to embrace.