I've sung this song for many years because it speaks to me, in volumes. The man is a drudge, someone who hates his job dearly but can't quit, even though it has robbed him of his soul. He hates his home life, too ("who reach for anything they can to keep from going home") and apparently has gone from despair to despondency. So in one last effort to feel worth something, anything, he re-visits an old flame. Speaking of her own life she says "Casey, it's a shame to be alone," but he is so much more alone than she is, while surrounded by co-workers and family. All in all, a sad portrait.