I've heard Learning to Fly many times, but only recently I attached a different meaning to it. I saw an earlier post about how Tom got the idea - from a pilot who talked about landing being the hard part. However, does anybody else feel like its about being sober / clean. I've had some troubles that that song seems to really embody. Just wondering if anyone feels the same.

Definitely. "Coming down is the Hardest Thing".

Seems logical. "Learning to Fly /but I aint got Wings / Coming down is the Hardest Thing." No 'wings' - but he's 'flying'. Flying high and coming down.. Hmmmm.

I never thought about the clean/sober aspect of it - I wonder if thats what he meant? My feeling is that learning to fly is learning to be in your own skin, chart your own course, live your life. Coming down is the hardest thing is, of course, the mistakes you make along the way. Thats what it means to me.

^ have to agree!

I heard, quite a long time ago, that Tom hates aeroplane travel...could be apocryphal, though...

Jim

"Coming down is the hardest thing" is a great lyric. I kinda personally associated with something you love that you just wanna hold on to going away. Like something ending and you just dont want it to or getting back to normal after having a great day. Not sure it Tom felt that way when he wrote it though

I've always associated the song with love and growing up. Kind of like a cautious commentary on friendships and romances.

I guess, to me, it's just about life in general...George Harrison once talked about life being all about the theory of relativity...the higher you go up, the harder you hit the ground when you fall. "Comin' Down is the Hardest Thing..."

But it could be about whatever you make it. In my mind, a song is about what you want it to be about, not necessarily what the artist was thinking of when he composed it.

enlightenment