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"
So you're off in never never land
Couldn't wait for Peter Pan
Wendy, you know it's never the same when you're on your own
And do you miss me
And think about all the times you could have kissed me
But never made a move
And neither did I
But birthday cards scribbled with crayon and letters on Valentine's Day just to say hello
Were you too shy to say what I wanted so badly to know
And by the way Veruca
Do you remember flying to heaven with Toad?
Or staying up late, waiting for Godot
I'm just a friend
I want a larger role
I'm just a friend
I never told you though
I'm just a friend
Cast me in your show
I wanna take back all the times I never told you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I couldn't hold you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I should've showed you
I'll be there...
Saturday night premier for your career
Tell me are you disillusioned
About all the makeup and what they make you wear
Did they cut your hair
And all the lipstick...
It's a little much on your lips
I wanna rub it off with my finger tip
You know they look so much better when they're completely bare
I'm just a friend
I want a larger role
I'm just a friend
I never told you though
I'm just a friend
Cast me in your show
I wanna take back all the times I never told you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I couldn't hold you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I should've showed you
I'll be there...
Sleep easy baby
Rest easy baby
You replaced your name with fame
Sleep easy baby
Rest easy baby
I wanna win the girl who came before the name
Couldn't wait for Peter Pan
Wendy, you know it's never the same when you're on your own
And do you miss me
And think about all the times you could have kissed me
But never made a move
And neither did I
But birthday cards scribbled with crayon and letters on Valentine's Day just to say hello
Were you too shy to say what I wanted so badly to know
And by the way Veruca
Do you remember flying to heaven with Toad?
Or staying up late, waiting for Godot
I'm just a friend
I want a larger role
I'm just a friend
I never told you though
I'm just a friend
Cast me in your show
I wanna take back all the times I never told you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I couldn't hold you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I should've showed you
I'll be there...
Saturday night premier for your career
Tell me are you disillusioned
About all the makeup and what they make you wear
Did they cut your hair
And all the lipstick...
It's a little much on your lips
I wanna rub it off with my finger tip
You know they look so much better when they're completely bare
I'm just a friend
I want a larger role
I'm just a friend
I never told you though
I'm just a friend
Cast me in your show
I wanna take back all the times I never told you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I couldn't hold you
I'll be there for you
I wanna take back all the times I should've showed you
I'll be there...
Sleep easy baby
Rest easy baby
You replaced your name with fame
Sleep easy baby
Rest easy baby
I wanna win the girl who came before the name
Lyrics submitted by , edited by hottoddy
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I think "Were you too shy to say what I wanted so badly to know" says it all, and it's my favorite line. I've felt like that so many times. Frightened sick of asking, but wanting so badly to know how the other person feels. There's an off chance that this is aoubt stalking a celeb though... think about it.