Come (Live at Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, IA, 9/1/12)

Song Meaning

Lindsey Buckingham's "Come," especially potent in its live rendition from Hoyt Sherman Place, isn't a simple invitation; it’s a layered plea born from relational discord and a quest for elusive connection. The repetition of "Think of me sweet darling every time you don't come" lands with a double meaning, hinting at both physical absence and emotional withholding. The 'fever' refrain acts as a desperate barometer, gauging the heat of a passion that seems to be flickering rather than burning. Buckingham isn't just singing about a lover's unavailability; he’s dissecting the anatomy of longing itself. The core of the song meaning resides in the juxtaposition of intimacy and alienation. Lines like "Now I lay me down to sleep in this enemy bed" paint a stark picture of a relationship where closeness has devolved into a battlefield. The regret is palpable, underscored by the admission that "Tomorrow morning I will wake up hurting from the things we've said." The repeated assertion that "nobody else is doing it" suggests a unique, almost perverse dynamic at play, one where the push and pull, the friction itself, becomes a twisted form of connection. It’s a recognition that even in dysfunction, there’s a certain exclusivity. Buckingham’s lyrical detour about putting "God away" introduces a fascinating dimension. Is 'God' a metaphor for a former idealized version of the relationship, a set of beliefs about love that no longer apply? Or is it a comment on the burden of expectations, the weight of 'shoulds' that stifle genuine emotion? The line "Thought that our harmony was the new harmony / Lord it was a little too strange" suggests that the relationship, in its ambition to be something groundbreaking, became unsustainable. "Come" ultimately functions as a raw, unflinching exploration of how love can morph into something complex, painful, and yet, undeniably compelling. The insistent questioning of 'Can you feel the fever?' is less about a literal temperature and more about a desperate search for reciprocal intensity in the face of growing emotional distance.