Ever since I've seen your face
This life of mine has gone to waste
I was young and you were old
And I always knew you were cold
At the start you had a heart
But in the end you lost your friend
Can you see your own dark face?
It's dieing in a lonely place
Oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
I said, oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
As we get old, we lose our place
Reflecting back the world's disgrace
I feel so low, I feel so humble
Sometimes in life we take a tumble
Don't let anybody tell you that you're no good
Cause you know they would
Don't let anybody tell you what you should do
Cause it's not that way and...
Oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
I said, oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
We were young and we were pure
And life was just an open door
I said oh, oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
You were me and I was you
This world of ours it felt brand new
You took me a little further...
I heard it all before, I've heard it all before
I can't hear it anymore
Your hair was long, your eyes was blue
Guess what I'm gonna do to you
Oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
I said, oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
We were young and we were pure
And life was just an open door
I said oh, oh, how I cannot bear the thought...
Oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
I said oh, oh, how I cannot bear the thought of you
We were young and we were pure...
Two people fell in love when they were young while the world was totally receptive to them. And they were so in love that their reflections in the mirror were the same ones. But one of them simply has lost the faith in life as time is passing through the mirror. And the other one is simply calling his lover back to life on showing to him that nothing is over when you're getting old and it's perfectly possible to keep yourself young (in mind) despite your older look. And you don't have to be living on the good memories from your past just because the world is trying to close its doors to you because of your new age. The message is clear: open these doors and face up the new challenges that life is presenting to you, no matter how cruel the younger people can seem to you. You are totally able to build a new exciting life for yourself! Wake up while you still can do it, jerk!!
Actually, when he sings "But in the end you lost your friend", he's talking to his lover that he/she became so bitter along the time that he doesn't enjoy himself anymore.
He can't bear the thought of her. Hatred. Beautiful.
One of my all time favorites from New Order. It always reminds me of my first gf. She was a few years older than me, and it took us a while to regain the friendship after she broke it off because she "had to make some changes." People warned me about her, that maybe she was too "experienced" or whatever for me, but I didn't care. Anyway, I think you can all see where I am going, and how neatly the song lined up with my situation at the time. And to me, that is what this song is about. Ironically, I put this song on the first mix tape I made for her. Yes, that was a time when people still made mix tapes. All you youngin's will have to ask your parents what those are. :)
I think this song is about one person annd hes own perspective.