I had a really different interpretation from most of the comments here. I do not think we're supposed to have a pitiful view towards the returning person. In fact he is admired for all that he's been through, for he has had 'real' experiences.
I presume this because of the fleet foxes aesthetic, which is more and more Paul Simmons/Cat Stevens-enesque. Having a long hair and a vagrant life is not something bad, quite the contrary. It becomes clear in the line "my brother you were born", like he was finally alive because of the difficult times when he reached the frontier.
Another line thats points towards that is "pull the wool over your eyes", which I think is quite a direct reference to Maia's veil, that is, that which prevents us from gazing to the world as it is, to see the truth in it. That is, letting your "family take you back to your original mind" is NOT a good thing. The narrator feels this, but doesn't really know what to do.
I had a really different interpretation from most of the comments here. I do not think we're supposed to have a pitiful view towards the returning person. In fact he is admired for all that he's been through, for he has had 'real' experiences.
I presume this because of the fleet foxes aesthetic, which is more and more Paul Simmons/Cat Stevens-enesque. Having a long hair and a vagrant life is not something bad, quite the contrary. It becomes clear in the line "my brother you were born", like he was finally alive because of the difficult times when he reached the frontier.
Another line thats points towards that is "pull the wool over your eyes", which I think is quite a direct reference to Maia's veil, that is, that which prevents us from gazing to the world as it is, to see the truth in it. That is, letting your "family take you back to your original mind" is NOT a good thing. The narrator feels this, but doesn't really know what to do.