Chance

The lyrics seem to describe a woman who leaves a harsh home with a man who first appears to offer rescue and possibility. Later, however, the speaker looks back with sadness and asks where the original feeling has gone. The repeated cries of “Oh Lord” make the loss feel intense and unresolved, as if the speaker is caught in regret rather than reaching a clear conclusion.

Rain, a “cold new town,” and a father’s hand “like a fist” create images of difficulty and threat. The man’s arrival “like a hero” suggests hope, while the “sun and moon as gifts” make his promises sound almost magical. Yet the reference to the two sons he left her with hints that the romance did not last and that its consequences remained. “Played chance with a lifetime’s romance” compares love to a risky bet: she may have hoped for lasting happiness, but the cost was greater than expected.

The heavy skirts and the line about never knowing she was young may suggest that responsibilities or hardship took away her sense of youth. Still, the lyrics do not explain every event or say exactly what the man did. The song can be heard as a reflection on a relationship that began as escape but became a source of lasting sorrow, while leaving room for uncertainty about whether the speaker feels regret, grief, or both.