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"
You and I are like oil and water
And we've been trying, trying, trying
Oh, to mix it up
We've been dancing on a volcano
And we've been crying, crying, crying
Over blackened soles
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
I've been smiling with anchors on my shoulders
And I've been dying, dying, dying
Oh, to let them go
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
Will not be the last time
We were trying to believe everything would get better
We've been lying to each other
Hey, babe! Let's just call it, call it, call it
Oh, what it is
Oil and water
Oil and water
Oil and water
Oil
And we've been trying, trying, trying
Oh, to mix it up
We've been dancing on a volcano
And we've been crying, crying, crying
Over blackened soles
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
I've been smiling with anchors on my shoulders
And I've been dying, dying, dying
Oh, to let them go
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
Will not be the last time
We were trying to believe everything would get better
We've been lying to each other
Hey, babe! Let's just call it, call it, call it
Oh, what it is
Oil and water
Oil and water
Oil and water
Oil
Lyrics submitted by MakeYourSelf101
Oil and Water Lyrics as written by Brandon Charles Boyd Benjamin Lee Kenney
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Let's just call it, what it is. Oil and water.
To me, it's not about a relationship that doesn't work; it's about one that WILL work because of this open acknowledgment of differences and obstacles. Totally gorgeous.
I can't say that I completely agree with this interpretation. However, I think this is a really cool and optimistic look at the song. Thanks for the comment. Very enlightening.
jewy you just blew my mind. <br /> <br /> "Babe this wouldn't be the first time<br /> It will not be the last time"<br /> <br /> this would seem to strengthen your argument, but then he goes on to say:<br /> <br /> "we tried to believe everything would get better"
I think this song is about humanity, just as I see Light Grenades as being. (you can go check my post there)
We build cities by volcanoes then cry when people die, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? It is saying disasters happen but we lie to our selves that everything is alright and no one is going to die, but frankly, shit happens and we can't protect our selves from everything. The soul of humanity tries to shelter its self from problems. It's happened before and it will happen again.
Also.. mixing oil and water, it seems that oil has become more important to us than water sometimes.
Again I doubt anyone checks these but I wanted to comment...
First off I think it is pretty basic in regards to what it is about. I think it is clearly about a failing relationship, at the point where they compare themselves to Oil and Water, which will never be able to mix no matter what. They keep trying, but realize they are just lying to each other, so they decide to call it what it is... Oil and Water... HOWEVER, the very next song is Diamonds and Coal, which I find very interesting, because that song is about how PRESSURE transforms COAL into a DIAMOND. The song even says inspire of this we're doing just fine, even diamonds start as coal. Give us time to shine. SO I am thinking that Oil and Water, was the couple accepting the fact that they have issues, and they may not mix, BUT because they called it what it is, and accepted it they were able to move past their differences and build around it. So in spite of it, they are doing fine, and turning their COAL of a relationship into a Diamond.
@TullyPoops could it possibly be that opposites attract?? That is couple may have nothing (so it seems) in common "oil and water" but that perhaps opposites do attract "diamonds and coal"???<br /> <br /> I like you interpretation and thoughts ... so doubt no longer :)
Hands down best song on the new CD
I agree.
I would have to agree as well
Yeah, I think so too, that's why I thought I should post lyrics. Some of the words I couldn't understand clearly so feel free to correct.
This is an awesome, awesome song!! Just a few corrections, though: I think it's "OVER blackened souls" instead of "the blackened souls" and "there is no PARASOL" instead of "no better soul" and "I've been smiling with ANCHORS on my shoulders" instead of "smiling with birds on my shoulders"
Yeah this is the best song on the album, followed closely by Diamonds and Coal.
aceite y agua