Its a story about lost love and missed chances. The man is living in the streets in a cardboard box. Its freezing cold, snowy winter in the city. Any city. His lover he lost some time ago for unknown reasons, is a successful woman living on easy street. What ever happened, the man lost it all when he lost her. When the singer tries to offer him his over coat the vagrant politely refuses. He speaks with words the singer seldom uses because he is obviously educated albeit down on his luck and broken hearted. He lives his life shuffling through the city streets reliving the past and wishing had made better choices or maybe that he had treated this lost love better than he had. He has made his choices and know he must live with the hand he has opted to play. I feel that she is constantly on his mind the "what ifs" and "if only's" haunt him at every turn. He has opted that if he can't have her he will walk these streets until he dies. Riding out the storm that he has brought on himself.

He and his wife Loretta are advancing in years. Living alone in their apartment, their children have long since grown and one even lost his life in the Korean war. They used to wonder why he had to die but at this late stage of the game it makes no matter. They are alone together and they are lonesome. He and his wife no longer communicate very often because it seems to have all been said before. Since nothing new ever happens, What is there to talk about? Loretta spends much of her time looking outside watching the world go by while they listen to the news on the radio or maybe a cable new network all day only to seemingly hear the same depressing things over and over again everyday, They are alone and tired. Alone together. The man kids himself that one day he will call up Rudy and talk about the time they had working together before they both retired. He knows he wont. He knows that after all this time there will be little to talk about and would be awkward ("Whats new? Nothing, whats with you?") Silence. Maybe Rudy is alone in his old age also? It is the only thing they have left in common. The bottom line here is that if we are lucky, we will be old some day. We could be lonely too and wouldn't it be nice if someone would stop by and be a bright spot in your day? Stop in to say Hello in there!

The man is an alcoholic. Unable to get off the bar stool to do anything other than go take a piss. Overlooked at the carpool? He cannot be counted on to drive because of his drunkenness or the fact that people know that they cannot count on him showing up because of drink induced sickness. He is always craving and that usually his last desire at any given moment. Every moment haunts him due to the fact he operates in a blackout most of the time. When he wakes from passing out he is then haunted by the thought of, "Oh my God! What Happened last night?" Once again he has no idea. The alcohol burns these blank spots in his head (alcohol fire) because of these constantly occurring episodes. He alienates everyone that loves him to the point that the only thing that wants him is the alcohol. He is a shell of a man. Living day to day drinking himself to oblivion. He is paper thin spiritually. People know what he"s all about (they see right through him) and they keep away from him because of it. He is a user and a loser that some how in the back of his mind thinks hes doin' alright. But deep inside he knows he is a mess. He accepts his fate. He argues that he is just out having a good time but the life he has chosen consumes him. Every once in a while he might get the chance to get the number from some bar fly chick that really has no clue as to the f**ked up nature of this man. He might even get to go home with her or go get a little sex in someone's back seat. He thinks that makes him normal. Proves hes ok. However, he knows she will eventually find out about his wasted life and leave him on the same bat stool she found him on.