3:49
Face Dances, 1981
Written by Pete Townshend
This song is said to be about Townshend's guru Meher Baba, as in clutching to the hem of his robe, or hanging on to his teachings. This, of course, brings to mind the famous scene in Mark 5:25-30 where a woman touches the hem of Jesus' robe. But more generally, it seems to be a metaphor for finding comfort. This is a song about loneliness and missed chances. "No one locked me out because I failed to phone up / I can't bear to live forever like a loner." He hasn't been frozen out by anyone, he's the architect of his loneliness. "Every lonely wife knows the way I feel."