Anna Begins

The speaker tries to insist that he is calm and unaffected, while Anna seems to be experiencing a powerful, unsettling connection. He argues that if they cannot talk about their feelings, perhaps it is not love, yet he also admits that the situation is not simply “all or nothing.” As the song develops, his confidence fades: he becomes restless, feels emotionally changed, and says he is not ready for what is happening.

Several images show the struggle to control or avoid these feelings. “Wrap her up in a package of lies” suggests hiding the truth or trying to send Anna away rather than face the relationship. The idea of catching her in a butterfly net and pinning her in an album is an exaggerated image of trying to hold onto something delicate and changing. “Kindness falls like rain” presents her tenderness as something that gradually overwhelms both of them, washing away their defenses.

The lyrics leave the relationship’s status uncertain. The speaker repeatedly denies that it is love, but small details—like believing it is love whenever Anna sneezes—suggest he may be becoming attached. His changing mind could mean that he is accepting his feelings, or simply being swept up in an intense moment. Anna’s eventual fading or disappearance may be literal, imagined, or a way of expressing distance; the song does not settle the question.