The speaker is a solitary, restless individual who frequently takes late-night walks through the city in the rain. Plagued by sleeplessness, he actively seeks out the isolation of the deserted streets, walking past the furthest city limits. He is intimately familiar with feelings of melancholy and fiercely protects his solitary state, preferring his own introspective thoughts over the company of others.

The watchman is a figure of authority, likely a neighborhood police officer walking a beat or a security guard patrolling the sleeping city. He represents the waking world and the possibility of human connection or protection in an otherwise desolate environment.