This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
What's wrong baby?
Don't they treat you like they should?
Did you take 'em for it?
For every penny that you could?
We once walked out on the beach
And once I almost touched your hand
Oh, how I dreamed to finally say such things
Then only to pretend
Don't you know I'm thinking? (Know I'm thinking)
Driving 405 past midnight
Know I miss you? (don't you know that I miss you?)
Ninth and Ash on a Tuesday night
I would write to you from Museum Mile
A toast to you
Your whisper
Your smile
Up the stairs at the Weatherford
A ghost each place I hide
If you don't, don't know
Why'd ya say so?
Would you mean this please if it happens?
If you don't know
Why would ya say so?
Won't you get your story straight?
If you don't know, honey
Won't you just say so?
'Cause I need this now
More than I ever did
If you don't well, honey
Then you don't
I left you waiting (I know I left you waiting)
At the least could we be friends?
Should have never started (never started)
Ain't that the way it always ends?
On my life, I'll try today
There's so much I've felt I should say but
Even if your heart would listen
I doubt I could explain
If you don't, don't know
Why'd ya say so?
Would you mean this please if it happens?
If you don't know
Why would ya say so?
Won't you get your story straight?
If you don't know, honey
Won't you just say so?
'Cause I need this now
More than I ever did, did
If you don't well, honey
Then you don't
If you don't, well honey
Then you don't
(Do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do)
So here we are now
A sip of wine
A sip of water
Someday maybe
Maybe someday
We'll be smarter
And I'm sorry that I'm such a mess
I drank all my money could get
I took everything you let me have
And then I never loved you back
If you don't, don't know
Why'd ya say so?
Would you mean this please if it happens?
If you don't know
Why would ya say so?
Won't you get your story straight?
If you don't know, honey
Won't you just say so?
'Cause I need this now
Yeah, need this, need this
If you don't well, honey
Then you don't
If you don't, don't, well honey
Then you don't
If you don't, well honey
Then you don't
If you don't know, honey
Honey, then you don't
Don't they treat you like they should?
Did you take 'em for it?
For every penny that you could?
We once walked out on the beach
And once I almost touched your hand
Oh, how I dreamed to finally say such things
Then only to pretend
Don't you know I'm thinking? (Know I'm thinking)
Driving 405 past midnight
Know I miss you? (don't you know that I miss you?)
Ninth and Ash on a Tuesday night
I would write to you from Museum Mile
A toast to you
Your whisper
Your smile
Up the stairs at the Weatherford
A ghost each place I hide
If you don't, don't know
Why'd ya say so?
Would you mean this please if it happens?
If you don't know
Why would ya say so?
Won't you get your story straight?
If you don't know, honey
Won't you just say so?
'Cause I need this now
More than I ever did
If you don't well, honey
Then you don't
I left you waiting (I know I left you waiting)
At the least could we be friends?
Should have never started (never started)
Ain't that the way it always ends?
On my life, I'll try today
There's so much I've felt I should say but
Even if your heart would listen
I doubt I could explain
If you don't, don't know
Why'd ya say so?
Would you mean this please if it happens?
If you don't know
Why would ya say so?
Won't you get your story straight?
If you don't know, honey
Won't you just say so?
'Cause I need this now
More than I ever did, did
If you don't well, honey
Then you don't
If you don't, well honey
Then you don't
(Do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do)
So here we are now
A sip of wine
A sip of water
Someday maybe
Maybe someday
We'll be smarter
And I'm sorry that I'm such a mess
I drank all my money could get
I took everything you let me have
And then I never loved you back
If you don't, don't know
Why'd ya say so?
Would you mean this please if it happens?
If you don't know
Why would ya say so?
Won't you get your story straight?
If you don't know, honey
Won't you just say so?
'Cause I need this now
Yeah, need this, need this
If you don't well, honey
Then you don't
If you don't, don't, well honey
Then you don't
If you don't, well honey
Then you don't
If you don't know, honey
Honey, then you don't
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i really love the innocent romance in the line "We once walked out on the beach and once i almost touched your hand"