3 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A

Unrequited Lyrics

he had so many reasons
why she was unable to love him
she was just too young
she was too high strung
she was afraid of commitment

but all of the theories
that he recited
played like a song
of the unrequited

baby, how long's it been now
since you held me to your chest
and told me that you loved me
more than all the rest

it's such a shame you won't talk to me
'cause i won't repeat after you
i believe that there is more to life
we could've loved each other through

but i was afraid of commitment
when it came to you

i'll tell you: if there is one instinct
i just can't get with at all
it's the urge to kill something beautiful
just to hang it on your wall

are you just too young?
are you too high strung?
to actually follow through
on all the love you said you had
baby, i never lied to you

is all or nothing
really the best we can do?
Song Info
Submitted by
mickzzzzzz On Feb 09, 2006
3 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Add your thoughts...
Cover art for Unrequited lyrics by Ani DiFranco

A song about a post-breakup relationship. The question: "is all or nothing really the best we can do?" seems to sum up the song pretty well. Why does a relationship either have to work or not exist at all? Ani feels that love doesn't just go away, and she feels that 'there is more to life that they could have loved each other through' despite the fact that the 'ideal' kind of relationship didn't work out for them. It seems like it takes a lot of strength and understanding on both sides for a relationship to exist somewhere in between an ideal relationship and a non-existent one.

I really identify with this verse: "if there is one instinct, i just can't get with at all; it's the urge to kill something beautiful, just to hang it on your wall". It is sad when people deal with the hurt in a defensive way; by re-evaluating the relationship with a new found sense of negativity and blame towards the other person. By 'hanging it on the wall', the hurt person is presenting their new (negative) take on the relationship to the world. A relationship that a person considers wonderful at one time can be interpreted in a completely different way after the person has been hurt (even though the events that made up the relationship have not changed). This is the nature of memory really: every new experience influences how you re-construct the memories of your previous experiences.

Cover art for Unrequited lyrics by Ani DiFranco

this song is actually called "unrequited." just so you know.

Cover art for Unrequited lyrics by Ani DiFranco

you are perfect, mickzzzzzzz. i am living the exact description of this song right now. and your explanation has open my eyes to a whole side of things I never saw before. thank you.

 
Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.

Ask a question...