Meaning of 'A Solitary Life'

by Richard Thompson

Interpretation

In the lyrics of the song 'A Solitary Life' by Richard Thompson, it is about the desire for a solitary life. The singer describes how he sometimes longs for a life without parents, children, or a wife. His sister lives in Australia and has not kept in touch with him. Sex is nothing more than a superficial encounter for him while he reads a magazine in the bathroom.

He describes himself as a social failure and finds it pleasant not to have to make too much effort. Life seems boring to him, with limited perspectives, like the gray sky over North West Eleven.

The singer also talks about serious hobbies in the garden shed, such as model trains or lead soldiers. He feels connected to the hobbyists in the suburbs of Britain who are experts in trivial things. He spends his vacations in the Yorkshire Dales or cycling tours in North Wales, without envying those who take more exotic trips.

The excitement in his life comes in subtle ways, like the satisfaction of routines or small acts of revenge in the office. He works on his paleness, with a complexion like paste, similar to the gray defeat on a prisoner's face. A life that consists of adding losses and gains, which has gradually given in.

In the end, he feels sad and alone. He has developed a reliable and steady tumor growth while his peers are stressed fighting for their health. In life, he has always been quite insensitive and now his mind is becoming more and more clouded. He surrenders to death in a bleak hospital on the new bypass road of St. Barts. Death overcomes him secretly.

The lyrics of the song 'A Solitary Life' describe the desire for a simple and solitary life that proves to be boring and limited. It is about loss, routine, and the lack of connections to other people. In the end, there is the realization of the transience and loneliness of life.