Nothing else is keeping us apart - Come Inside
It’s been pointed out that, having given a pretty detailed account of the meaning of most of the songs on Dungeon Lane, Paul had very little to say about ‘Come Inside’. His comment to Billboard that there’s ’ not a lot I can say about it. Just play it” reminds me of his answer at a Q&A when asked about ‘Demons Dance’: “Heaven knows what that’s about!”. Maybe there are certain songs that, for reasons of discretion, he can’t openly discuss and, when asked, he’ll quickly bat it away.
Like in ‘Demons Dance’, ‘Struggle’, ‘Hosanna’, ‘Sixty Second Street’ and others, the narrator in ‘Come Inside’ - and on such a personal album, there can’t be much doubt that it’s Paul himself - is reaching out to someone appealing for some contact, some communication.
As with those other songs, it feels like he’s addressing someone from his past. On an album that focuses so much on time and memory, that doesn’t feel out of place.
Does that image from the official lyric video suggest it’s a former romantic partner?
He’s telling them that there is no barrier to them reconnecting other than their willingness to do so:
Open up your mind, open up your heart
Nothing else is keeping us apart
He’s saying explicitly that he’s waiting on the word:
You got to let me know what you wanna do
There’s also a message we’ve seen before, that he can protect them if they want to reconnect:
There's not a single thing that you have to fear
If you come my way
We saw this in ‘Get Started’
…know you'll be protected as long as I'm around
To ensure there's no confusion, I would like to make it clear
If you need my help I promise I'll be here
Before that, too, in ‘Write Away’
You need attention, so I think it's worth a mention that if I can deliver
Well there wouldn't be no heavy price to pay
Part of the message of ‘Come Inside’ might also be to all of us:
Well, step right up and take a look, see what you can find
'Cause all my life's an open book
Come inside my mind
This aligns with what he said in his Lyrics book:
"Over time I came to see each song as a new puzzle. It would illuminate something that was important in my life at that moment, though the meanings are not always obvious on the surface. Fans or readers, or even critics, who really want to learn more about my life should read my lyrics, which might reveal more than any single book about The Beatles could do."
