The “little rain” symbolizes all the small actions that eventually led to the demise of their relationship. Each of them made her lose a little bit of her love, until eventually there was nothing left.

Using rain to represent sorrow or pain is a common form of pathetic fallacy, and one that Berninger has returned to throughout his career – see “Pink Rabbits”:

It wasn’t like a rain it was more like a sea
I didn’t ask for this pain it just came over me
I love a storm, but I don’t love lightning
All the waters coming up so fast, it’s frightening

Privatisation was a central plank of Thatcherism. The idea was that privatising industries and exposing them to competition would increase efficiency and improve the economy. Some of the businesses privatised under Thatcher include British Airways, British Gas, National Express, the water companies, British Petroleum, and British Steel.

Privatisation was controversial. Some continue to view it as a way of making things less accessible to the poor in favour of creating profits for rich entrepreneurs. Thirty years later, there were still calls for the re-nationalisation of energy companies and railways.

This evoke picket lines, which striking workers were not supposed to cross, as well as sentimental pictures of people enjoying Christmas together. The implication is that all these different groups are buddied-up and agree with each other.