What Can I Do

The speaker feels that life has changed in ways they cannot control. Dreams drift away, and even ordinary choices seem to lead in the wrong direction. The repeated question, “What can I do,” expresses helplessness, while the refrain about nothing being the same suggests grief for an earlier, happier time. The mood grows more troubled as the song moves from general disappointment to memories and unsettling experiences.

Several images make this change vivid. Dreams floating like “a cloud in the wind” suggests hopes that are hard to hold on to. A “cold black night” after a summer day contrasts warmth and happiness with sudden darkness. Later, the “ghost” of the speaker’s life seems to represent the past returning in memory, while hearing voices with no one there gives that memory an eerie, possibly inward quality. The unusual reference to a name that “still remains” hints at an identity or burden the speaker has not escaped.

The lyrics leave the cause of the change unclear. The speaker may be facing a personal crisis, feeling trapped by their past, or describing emotional confusion through dramatic images. The wish to “start all over again” suggests hope, but it is only a wish: the repeated question shows that the speaker does not yet know how to move forward.