Billy Joel - The Stranger Lyrics Meaning

The way I first interpreted it was that the "stranger" in the song was a love interest who was unable to see the narrator for how he truly was (a lot like the song 3 Libras by APC)- thus the love interest is a stranger to him. But reading other interpretations, it does seem that the song is about the feeling of overcoming an addiction. However, applying my initial interpretation to that interpretation actually makes for an even more interesting suggestion. After all, moving on from a drug addiction is presumably a lot like moving on from a harmful relationship with someone.

"Shy away phantom, won't you move away, terrified child"

To me, he is talking to his inner addicted self. This self, is a "phantom" and "child" because it isn't truly him- it's just a weaker, dependent version of himself. However, even though he despises it, moving on from this inner self is still painful for the narrator because he is still "in love" with it deep down (you can even detect the pain in Maynard's voice as he sings it).

"As I listen for the whisper, of your sweet insanity"

Perhaps the reason he loved this "self" is because it made his life more interesting, turbulent, and fun- thus "sweet insanity". Even though he is in the process of moving on, he is still listening for some whisper within himself to coax him back into his former ways.

So my overall interpretation is that the song is about someone who is still overcoming the addiction, and is prone to relapse because deep down he still misses whatever he was addicted to. To me this is exactly like getting over a love interest.

Only the genius of APC or Tool could capture such an intricate feeling in a song.