That was the part that kind of freaked me out. It was such a revelation when I heard the song from the CD though. Maybe it's an imagined connection? I'm not sure. Perhaps it isn't necessary for the those kinds of dreams to end. One common theme throughout most of these kinds of dreams for me is the emotional impact -- contentment, fear (with the staircase dream), dread, and joy.
Yes, I get the impression I'm old in that Tobacco Shop dream. I don't remember feeling pain but I was walking with a cane. The surroundings weren't seedy. This was a downtown city street filled with red brick storefronts. The weather was gloomy, overcast and grey. The tobacco shop was just down a small flight of stairs in the basement level of one of the buildings.
I kind of epiphany came to me last night that these three recurring dreams could be memories from a single lifetime. Wealth and privilege seemed a common thread throughout the three. The first two are filled with light, happiness, and joy...the last, sadness. Very Dickensian.
That isn't childish at all! I think a lot of people have these kinds of "bad" dreams. I think these are usually dripping with metaphor.