This song describes something psychologists know as "Stockholm Syndrome," which is the process of identifying with one's captors. It has been observed in prisoners, and it also appears in personal relationships, when a person who has escaped from an abusive relationship feels lonely and wishes s/he were back in that relationship. The key to that meaning is in the line, "Looking back and longing for the freedom from my chains." The one thing an abusive relationship does offer is security - even though it's awful, it's predictable, and a person can know what to expect. Freedom comes with a price, and part of that price is insecurity, so that's where the line, "too long in the wind, too long in the rain" comes in. It's a gorgeous song, and I learned it myself way back when Kristopherson came out with it.