The speaker expresses a sense of disillusionment and nostalgia, reflecting on the unfulfilled expectations of a relationship. They once believed that someone important would come back, but time has passed, and memories have faded. The mention of forgetting a name symbolizes the loss of connection and identity over time.

There’s a feeling of regret as the speaker acknowledges that perhaps the person they longed for was merely a figment of their imagination. In contrast, they suggest that a thunderbird, a mythical creature that returns with the seasons, would have been a more reliable source of love and hope. This highlights the bittersweet nature of yearning for something that ultimately remains elusive.