Song Meaning
The narrator is desperately telling their lover to leave, to actively avoid them and disappear. It's a plea for separation, framed as a necessary act of self-preservation for both parties. The opening lines are stark: "Fly when you pass my door / Fly and get lost at sea," painting a picture of an urgent, almost violent, need for distance. This isn't a gentle parting; it's a command to vanish.
The central tension lies in the narrator's admission of trying "too much" when the lover is present and crying "too much" when they're gone. This highlights a cycle of desperate effort followed by overwhelming grief, suggesting the relationship is inherently unsustainable and damaging. The repeated phrase "No good are you for me / No good am I for you" underscores this mutual destructiveness, making the plea to "look away" a logical, albeit painful, conclusion.
The most striking aspect is the repeated, almost incantatory, command to "look away." It's a direct instruction to ignore, to pretend the other person doesn't exist, which is a powerful, active form of rejection. This contrasts sharply with the underlying loneliness the narrator admits to: "Lonely though I may be." The act of pushing someone away, even when lonely, reveals a profound internal conflict and a commitment to a painful resolution.
This writing is effective because it captures the raw, paradoxical nature of wanting to end a relationship that clearly causes pain, yet still feeling the sting of loneliness. The simple, direct language amplifies the emotional weight, making the narrator's desperate plea feel immediate and visceral. The repetition of "look away" acts like a mantra, emphasizing the difficulty and necessity of the action.
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