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"
It was a Sunday when his phone rang
I know how busy you have been
I'm just calling to check in
Heard his voice
I knew then, it happened again (it happened again)
This one was different
I knew he meant it
But the feeling's always the same
Part of you that'll take the blame
And better days is losing its ring
If this means something at all
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, on life's terms ain't easy (on life's terms ain't easy)
Told me the story, all too familiar
It was a ghost from the past
Really thought this one would last
Baby boy, you deserve so much more (so much more)
Hate to see it happen to a friend
Why the lesson guys win in the end?
Wondering what she had until you're gone
She lost a good one
Found her when it all turns to a mess
But I can see it happened for the best
Try to keep your chin up through the test
You just gotta have faith
If this means something at all
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, on life's terms ain't easy, just gotta take it in stride
And I'm by your side
You've been by mine ,through the good and the bad, yeah
And all those nights when we'd just drive
And we felt all alone in the world
Look out tonight and we were right
Look how far we have come
Now is our time
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, on life's terms ain't easy, just gotta take it in stride
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, life isn't easy, just gotta take it in stride
I know how busy you have been
I'm just calling to check in
Heard his voice
I knew then, it happened again (it happened again)
This one was different
I knew he meant it
But the feeling's always the same
Part of you that'll take the blame
And better days is losing its ring
If this means something at all
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, on life's terms ain't easy (on life's terms ain't easy)
Told me the story, all too familiar
It was a ghost from the past
Really thought this one would last
Baby boy, you deserve so much more (so much more)
Hate to see it happen to a friend
Why the lesson guys win in the end?
Wondering what she had until you're gone
She lost a good one
Found her when it all turns to a mess
But I can see it happened for the best
Try to keep your chin up through the test
You just gotta have faith
If this means something at all
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, on life's terms ain't easy, just gotta take it in stride
And I'm by your side
You've been by mine ,through the good and the bad, yeah
And all those nights when we'd just drive
And we felt all alone in the world
Look out tonight and we were right
Look how far we have come
Now is our time
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, on life's terms ain't easy, just gotta take it in stride
I, know we're not like them, couldn't be if we tried
Life, life isn't easy, just gotta take it in stride
Lyrics submitted by fedorov1fan
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
watching his friend and his gf breaking up... and telling himself and his gf that they're not like that, they're in it for the long run, and they've been through way too much together for them not to be ok in the end.