Close To You

Carole King wrote, recorded and released ‘So Far Away’ for her Tapestry album and the single which was the B side of ‘It’s Too Late’ charted #14 in the US.  This song is about the amount of space between two people that are in love, but the measurement of the space between them is unspecified, as nobody can determine how far away far actually is, just like nobody knows how high is high, or how big is big.  Size and distance are both relative terms that only come into focus when they are compared with another object, so a far away distance for one object could be relatively close for another.  This song expresses the frustration and sadness of a woman that is not with the man that she loves, and they can’t be together because of this distance that separates them.  This song was written 25 years before most people started using the internet to connect with each other, so physical distance was much more of a barrier to people back then.  Today, it’s easier than ever to connect with others thanks to technology like social media, messaging apps, and video chat, however, despite these technological advancements, many people feel more disconnected and isolated than ever before.

Human beings are wired to connect with others because we are inherently relational creatures.  When Adam found none of the other creatures (or animals) in the Garden of Eden to be like him, he felt alone, isolated, and disconnected, but his luck changed when this woman named Eve showed up out of nowhere.   She provided a remedy for his sense of loneliness, his need for connection and she gave him the love and friendship that he was craving, and Adam was made whole instead of his time just slipping away in paradise.  I am unsure how big the Garden of Eden was and at times they may have been geographically distant from each other, with Adam out hunting for food and Eve chatting it up with a serpent.  This song repeatedly asks, “Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?”, which illustrates that due to planes, trains and automobiles that travel has become commonplace in the developed world.  From an evolutionary perspective, humans were designed to move, so we could survival as a species.  People often move away for various reasons, leaving behind relationships and familiarity.  The song also touches on the theme of travel and the loneliness that can accompany it, as well as the hope for reuniting with loved ones and the dreams that are yet to be fulfilled.

So far away
Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
It doesn’t help to know you’re just time away
Long ago, I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again could only do me good
How I wish I could, but you’re so far away

One more song about movin’ along the highway
Can’t say much of anything that’s new
If I could only work this life out my way
I’d rather spend it bein’ close to you

But you’re so far away
Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
It doesn’t help to know you’re so far away
Yeah, you’re so far away

Travelin’ around sure gets me down and lonely
Nothin’ else to do but close my mind
I sure hope the road don’t come to own me
There’s so many dreams I’ve yet to find

But you’re so far away
Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn’t help to know you’re so far away
Yeah, you’re so far away
Yeah, you’re so far away

Written for Thursday Inspiration #232 It’s Too Late where the prompt is morning.