Song Meaning
The lyrics present a series of contrasting natural phenomena to define love. Initially, love is depicted through gentle, cyclical occurrences like a "morning sunrise," "rain that falls," and an "evening sunset." This establishes a serene, almost predictable aspect of love, suggesting comfort and natural beauty. However, this is immediately juxtaposed with the unexpected arrival of "a stranger who calls," hinting at love's potential for surprise and the unknown.
The core tension arises from love's dual nature: it's both a source of gentle comfort and a powerful, even startling, force. The imagery shifts from the passive "rain that falls" to the active "hidden sunshine / That chases tears away," and later to the dramatic "bolt of lightning / Slashing across the sky." This progression suggests that love encompasses both soothing warmth and intense, electrifying moments.
The bridge offers a more direct, sensory definition, associating love with "Green as the grass," "Blue as the sky," and "Soft as the wind." These are fundamental, pervasive elements of nature, implying that love is an intrinsic, ever-present force. The repetition of "All these things are love" reinforces this idea, presenting a comprehensive, almost elemental understanding of affection.
The final stanza brings the abstract definition into a personal context, shifting from the general "stranger who calls" to the specific "tender warmth / I see within your eye" and concluding with the active declaration, "And I'm the one who calls." This personalizes love, moving it from a broad concept to an intimate, reciprocal experience initiated by the speaker, grounding the grand natural metaphors in a direct human connection.
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