Songfacts®:

• The opening track from Merchant's self-titled album follows a woman trying to stay in a loveless relationship for the sake of her children. She explained in an interview with The Diane Rehm Show: "It's about that limbo that we find ourselves in when we know a relationship isn't working, and we have to act in some way, but it's more complicated when you're older and you have children. So, it's talking about a woman who has a family, and she's not satisfied, but she's not the only one involved. And then, you know, the metaphor of a bird, and I keep asking her, is it time for you to fly? And we don't really find out at the end. I love the dynamic range of this song. It starts so softly, and then it's so fierce at the end. And then the strings are woven all through it, which I really love."