Part of being away often is leaving people behind, and in so doing never feeling as though one is able to establish conventionally meaningful relationships, etc. "Home" can be subjective and the idea here is that you can be searching for an ostensible stability (that seems to come from being in one place) and discover it's an illusion. This one more or less touches on the numbness that arrives when you are busy enough to forget the moment and instead be on a sort of auto pilot. This feeling is not really unusual I guess and keeps happening until one is lucky enough to recognize a change is needed.
lyrics
You’re awake I know
And I can tell that when I’m gone
You’ll peek around every corner
You can’t say I didn’t warn you
Little Rock was fine
Memphis next, then Texas bound
But isn’t that the way?
When all I really wanted to do was stay home
In a Parking lot in Maine
Was where you said you’d never change,
Where I fell in love with you
And now I cannot move
Cheap Italian wine,
Cheaper life of petty crime,
I see your point of view
But all I really wanted to do was stay home
But who am I to question fate?
There I go again setting up the next stage
Now what am I do?
When I was born to forget you
I said that I would stay
And then I was on my way
We could spay the lion
We could save ourselves some time
But am I really gone
when anywhere I hang my head is my home?
But who am I to question fate?
There I go again setting up the next stage
credits
from New Fragility (Deluxe Edition),
released February 12, 2021
Alec Ounsworth: vocals, guitars, bass, synths
Jonas Oesterle: drums
Todd Erk: synths, programming
Brendan Cooney: string arrangement, conductor
Veronica Jurkiewicz: viola
Gabriel Miller: violin
Carlos Santiago: violin
Carolina Diazgranados: cello
