Off He Goes - Pearl Jam

Know a man, his face seems pulled and tense
Like he's ridin' on a motorbike, in the strongest winds
So I approach with tact, suggest that he should relax
But he's always moving much too fast
Said he'll see me on the flip side, of this trip he's taken for a ride
He's been takin', too much on, off he goes
With his perfectly unkept clothes, there he goes
He's yet to come back, but i've seen his picture
It doesn't look the same up on the rack, we go way back
I wonder 'bout his insides, it's like his thoughts are too big for his size
He's been taken...where? I don't know, off he goes
With his perfectly unkept hope, there he goes
And now I rub my eyes, for he has returned
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned
For he still smiles, and he's still strong
Nothing's changed but the surrounding bullshit, that has grown
And now he's home, and we're laughing
Like we always did, my same old, same old friend
Until a quarter to ten, I saw the strain creep in
He seems distracted and I know just what is gonna happen next
Before his first step, he's off again