Come on, skinny love, just last the year
Pour a little salt, we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in this moment, this order's tall

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines

Come on, skinny love, what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted
And then who the hell was I?
And I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?
Ooh, ooh
Woo, oh ooh


Lyrics submitted by J.Diddy, edited by mike, jennifer50, drakili, anzii, coopigat, musicjunkie27, anechiwa, benapere

Skinny Love Lyrics as written by Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Skinny Love song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

287 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +24
    General Comment

    After learning that Justin said this song is about the pain of past relationships making their way into new ones brings a whole new perspective to the song for me!

    I almost feel like he's talking to himself. Both people that are living inside of his heart, the broken one and the one that is trying to hard to move on. So often we let the broken one lead our lives and sabatoge future happiness so he's trying to hold onto his small ability to love, skinny love, and get through the hurt that still harbors in his heart.

    "pour a little salt, we were never here" is a defense mechanism just trying to erase someone from your mind, the past love still haunting you.

    "i tell my love to wreck it all, to cut all the ropes and let me fall" again a self-sabatoging act. So stuck on the fact that the former lover couldn't love you that you push away anyone else that might come close to making you so vulnerable again.

    I hear the chorus as a self-mantra, said in the mirror: I told you to be patient I told you to be fine I told you to be balanced I told you to be kind In the morning I'll be with you But it will be a different "kind" I'll be holding all the tickets And you'll be owning all the fines

    He is talking to both people inside. Asking himself to be patient, fine, balanced, and kind even though the hurt part usually wins out. He will wake up and be better and he will own up to the past yet leave the hurt or "fines" behind. He wants to be stronger....

    The most gripping part of the song is "Now all your love was wasted? Well then who the hell was I?" Almost like a flashback to this past love.....that one thought we have that makes us cringe immediately with hurt.....Bringing him back to that sad vulnerable place

    and it ends with him still wounded....hopeless...afraid he'll always be his own worst enemy as he pushes away love because of the past. Because some won't fight too hard for love, after awhile most will just fall far behind:

    Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?

    Brilliant song, brilliant lyrics, amazing all together

    lyriclover81on July 09, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.