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"
I wrote this song, just to piss you off,
This is a war between my body and tongue,
You think you got it,
Come, show us what you've got.
I move away and watch you move through the walls,
If this is a game, then I'll sit out,
Everyone's a winner,
With a heart that small.
Keep me up, keep me up,
Oh I won't sleep tonight,
These rules were made so long,
And you know they're right.
I saw her coming like a storm,
I saw her come like I did before,
The weight of the world is on my shoulders,
But I just need someone else to hold it.
And I don't know why we're here,
Is it to love of love and fear,
Everyone's a winner,
With a heart that small.
Keep me up, keep me up,
Oh I won't sleep tonight,
These rules were made so long,
And you know they're right.
Give her up, give her up,
Cause you're gonna die tonight,
She'll lead you on, spit you out,
Just to prove that she is right.
And I know it was wrong to lie,
But I need you to keep us alive,
So if you and I collide,
Which one of us,
Which one of us,
Will survive?
Keep me up, keep me up,
Oh I won't sleep tonight,
These rules were made so long,
And you know they're right.
Give her up, give her up,
Cause you're gonna die tonight,
She'll lead you on, spit you out,
Just to prove that she is right.
Oh we know, we know it's right.
We know,
Know, we know it's right.
And it's right.
Know, we know it's right.
We know,
Know, we know it's right.
And it's right.
This is a war between my body and tongue,
You think you got it,
Come, show us what you've got.
I move away and watch you move through the walls,
If this is a game, then I'll sit out,
Everyone's a winner,
With a heart that small.
Keep me up, keep me up,
Oh I won't sleep tonight,
These rules were made so long,
And you know they're right.
I saw her coming like a storm,
I saw her come like I did before,
The weight of the world is on my shoulders,
But I just need someone else to hold it.
And I don't know why we're here,
Is it to love of love and fear,
Everyone's a winner,
With a heart that small.
Keep me up, keep me up,
Oh I won't sleep tonight,
These rules were made so long,
And you know they're right.
Give her up, give her up,
Cause you're gonna die tonight,
She'll lead you on, spit you out,
Just to prove that she is right.
And I know it was wrong to lie,
But I need you to keep us alive,
So if you and I collide,
Which one of us,
Which one of us,
Will survive?
Keep me up, keep me up,
Oh I won't sleep tonight,
These rules were made so long,
And you know they're right.
Give her up, give her up,
Cause you're gonna die tonight,
She'll lead you on, spit you out,
Just to prove that she is right.
Oh we know, we know it's right.
We know,
Know, we know it's right.
And it's right.
Know, we know it's right.
We know,
Know, we know it's right.
And it's right.
Lyrics submitted by Ollie9108
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this song seems to be about a girl that hurts him extremely because he says "shell lead you on, spit you out" and "you're gonna die tonight". but somehow he doesnt want their relationship to end, although he tries to convince himself ("give her up"). but still he begs the girl to keep the relationship going ("But I need you to keep us alive") and in the end he says that both of them know its right. it seems as if josh was pissed off when he wrote this song and wants to get his revenge ("i wrote this song just to piss you off") although he knew that everything will be fine after the fight they seem to have had (which made him write that song i suppose). three cheers for sweet revenge haha!
This song is awesome. And I agree with the above. "And I know it was wrong to lie, But I need you to keep us alive" makes me think he lied and told her he loved her, hence the "but I need you to keep us alive" bit.