Complimentary Metaphor

From Collective Soul:

Compliment

Now, I’ve taken the side
Of a beautiful calm
Can you see this disguise?
Fading to a resolve

And there it goes, my innocence
While gathering up a compliment
And here I lie with words to swear
There’s something more than the world out there
The world out there

And hesitation compounds
I’ve nothing left to sustain
My worries here have allowed
A momentary refrain

And there it goes, my innocence
While gathering up a compliment
And here I lie with words to swear
There’s something more than the world out there
The world out there

And there it goes, my innocence
I’m dying here for a compliment
And here I lie with words to swear
Theres something more than the world out there
The world out there
The world out there

Question: What is the "compliment" to which Ed Roland (lead singer for Collective Soul)refers?