I'm quite contented to take my chances
Against the Guildensterns and Rosencrantses
It's a matter of Cain and Abel
And I can feel your knee underneath the table

He doesn't dangle by the seraphim
He only wants a pretty face by him so
How could you want him when you know you could have me

See the pigeons peck and peck to pay the dues
They peck a little extra to re-sole their shoes
He's with the pigeons pecking crumbs
I'm on my death bed bleeding with the cherubim

He doesn't dangle by the seraphim
He only wants a pretty face by him so
How could you want him when you know you could have me

Ferocious angels send us falling stars
But I know just how dangerous wishes are
Ferocious angels watch me come and go
But I'm not too smart to go barging off of roof tops thanks

Sit out September on the windowsill
Cause you can't drink wine from a two dollar bill
Saint Christopher lives on the end of the quill
Leave him a diamond in your last will

He doesn't dangle by the seraphim
He only wants a pretty face by him so
How could you want him when you know you could have me


Lyrics submitted by Doctor_Of_Spin

How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Ha... Lyrics as written by Gross Comess

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

2 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    A universal theme: I'd SWEAR you were meant to be with me. Why on earth are you with that person instead?

    I really love all the religious imagery woven into the lyrics -- angels, seraphim, cherubim, St. Christopher. It almost implies a spiritual connection between the narrator and the object of his affection -- one that he doesn't think she shares with her actual partner.

    There are a million torch songs with a smarmy martyr complex, a la "I want my beloved to be happy." There are a million worse ones, whining "How come you only want jerks when I'm such a Nice Guy?" This one actually strikes the balance somehow, and lets us believe that there's some actual love lost -- that this broken heart is actually worth regretting.

    SirenAsunderon September 10, 2015   Link

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

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
No Surprises
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.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.