Song Meaning
The song paints a picture of youthful infatuation, a hazy escape into intense emotion. The narrator and their lover are adrift, disconnected from reality and time, driven solely by a desire to experience something profound. They've journeyed from somewhere distant, chasing a feeling that pulls them into an all-consuming "hole of love."
The central tension lies in this overwhelming, almost destructive desire. The repeated phrase "Eaten by desire" and "Eaten by this love" suggests a loss of control, a passion so potent it consumes the individuals. This is amplified by the constant refrain of "So young, so young," highlighting the inexperience and perhaps recklessness of their emotional state.
The lyrics use stark contrasts and repetition to underscore this theme. The idea of being "almost a man" and "almost a woman" points to a liminal state of adolescence, not quite adults but certainly past childhood. This ambiguity is mirrored in the comparison of their bodies to "boys back home," a detail that feels both intimate and slightly unsettling, hinting at a yearning for innocence or a familiar comfort that's now being outgrown or distorted by their current passion.
This raw portrayal of burgeoning, all-consuming love is effective because it captures that disorienting feeling of being swept away. The relentless repetition of "So young" hammers home the vulnerability and intensity of this phase, while the imagery of being "eaten" by desire creates a visceral sense of being overwhelmed. It’s a snapshot of a moment where feeling trumps all else, for better or worse.