The song is about a young man trying to deal with the recent end of a long-term relationship with a woman named Emily. Photographic reminders of her are everywhere, including his nightstand, his office and his billfold, the latter which he shows friends at a nightclub where he stops after work. The photographs, among other things, trigger deep emotional pain and memories of lost love and broken romance, as he finds solace only by "straighten(ing) Miss Emily's picture now and then."
