Let's take a look at a few key points before we get to verse by verse break-down:
What is the "Door" in the chorus and 2nd verse?
The Door represents Hope and a way out as it "keeps telling me to find a reason, anything to keep me from" succumbing to what you can call an alter-ego and it's sinister and destructive desires. Think of it as you would an angel on your shoulder.
What is this "me" and "you" that frequently comes up?
That can be said to be an alter-ego, the devil on your shoulder. It appears in the third person through inanimate objects like the speaking gun and also in the first person as if inside Lupe's character seeing his 'flaws','falls' and 'wrongs.'
Now, onto the lyrical breakdown:
The chorus explains the situation that Lupe's caught in. He's an individual who's caught in a place (called "here") where he has to make a choice, lest he lose himself and stay "trapped here forever." The Door represents hope, good and simply leaving "me" to fade. "Me" represents his the devil within, and it's nevertheless ending in disaster as "I can't win if it's me against me, one of us ain't gon survive" means he'd either be too consumed in fighting off his inner tormentor to do much of anything, or lose to it.
The first half of Verse 1 explains the rules and situation of how to survive being caught in such a place. The second half shows how others can't pull you out of it because they are covered in light while you're covered in darkness. It's like trying to find someone while wandering in a large area with candlelight: you can't see anymore than a few feet ahead so can't find who you're looking for. Only when you're in darkness yourself, and your eyes are accustomed to it, can you see someone else's and bring light to them. The last two lines show that the character's heart has been broken by the darkness and it is the part of himself that has Hope that's been keeping him alive.
The first 4 lines of Verse 2 express a desire to leave this state of the world either metaphorically or physically in which case it would mean death and going to heaven. But I can't tell you who "her face" is, perhaps this being the story of a widowed man and the Door would be referring to his memory of her and her voice. That makes more sense when he switches devil "me" from 3rd person to 1st person (implying he's believing it more and more and it's taking him over) as someone who sees all his faults whereas "you" see all the good and encourage him.
In summary, it's simply about the predicament of the battle being caught in a place of grief and torment as evil and good inherent in all of us rages against each other, possibly the good being personified by a loved one that the character's lost.
Let's take a look at a few key points before we get to verse by verse break-down:
The Door represents Hope and a way out as it "keeps telling me to find a reason, anything to keep me from" succumbing to what you can call an alter-ego and it's sinister and destructive desires. Think of it as you would an angel on your shoulder.
That can be said to be an alter-ego, the devil on your shoulder. It appears in the third person through inanimate objects like the speaking gun and also in the first person as if inside Lupe's character seeing his 'flaws','falls' and 'wrongs.'
Now, onto the lyrical breakdown:
The chorus explains the situation that Lupe's caught in. He's an individual who's caught in a place (called "here") where he has to make a choice, lest he lose himself and stay "trapped here forever." The Door represents hope, good and simply leaving "me" to fade. "Me" represents his the devil within, and it's nevertheless ending in disaster as "I can't win if it's me against me, one of us ain't gon survive" means he'd either be too consumed in fighting off his inner tormentor to do much of anything, or lose to it.
The first half of Verse 1 explains the rules and situation of how to survive being caught in such a place. The second half shows how others can't pull you out of it because they are covered in light while you're covered in darkness. It's like trying to find someone while wandering in a large area with candlelight: you can't see anymore than a few feet ahead so can't find who you're looking for. Only when you're in darkness yourself, and your eyes are accustomed to it, can you see someone else's and bring light to them. The last two lines show that the character's heart has been broken by the darkness and it is the part of himself that has Hope that's been keeping him alive.
The first 4 lines of Verse 2 express a desire to leave this state of the world either metaphorically or physically in which case it would mean death and going to heaven. But I can't tell you who "her face" is, perhaps this being the story of a widowed man and the Door would be referring to his memory of her and her voice. That makes more sense when he switches devil "me" from 3rd person to 1st person (implying he's believing it more and more and it's taking him over) as someone who sees all his faults whereas "you" see all the good and encourage him.
In summary, it's simply about the predicament of the battle being caught in a place of grief and torment as evil and good inherent in all of us rages against each other, possibly the good being personified by a loved one that the character's lost.