This song finds Stevens wrapped in guilt following the 2012 death of his mother, Carrie. The regret and self-recrimination he sings of is part of his grieving process.
By the end of the song Stevens has garnered enough tough wisdom to enable himself to focus on the present moment rather than dwelling on the past ("Should have known better. Nothing can be changed"). The tune finishes in a circle of life moment as he delights in the joy of a new niece ("My brother had a daughter, the beauty that she brings, illumination").
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