Static Waves

This is a brilliant song, it's obviously about a break up or is it? For no apparent reason (there's always a reason) he breaks up with her, she's willing to continue their relationship at a distance but he leaves unaware. I like the fact that Andrew clearly illustrates an image with his song, a guy shows up at his girlfriends place "from where I started" he only only goes there to break up "notion is the emotion." Soon after she states "I'll try my best to follow if I can, but I would have let you leave." The word "but" is significant as it shows us that she was willing let go. "You swayed your hips and stole the breathe that I was taking" indicates that she cuts him off as he was trying to explain to her why he is doing what he feels is right. I'm still trying to figure out "these empty halls held our disease before we caught it" I'm guessing it has to do with previous arguments they had; I'm not sure. Leaving her place "I count the steps from where I am to where I started" he begins a new chapter... just without her. The part that throws me off is the last verse where Andrew and Katie sing together "I would have let you leave" maybe someone could explain it to me? Could they both have been willing let let each other go?

Either way... everyone will one day remember this song when I feature it in my sitcom, without going into details this song will make a last impression on the viewers.

My opinion of this song is vastly different from the other that is posted. To me, it isn't about a break up at all. It's about two people being in love with each other, and neither telling because they don't think the other will feel the same. A very common experience for most people. "I could the steps from where I am to were I started" is that he is counting the steps until he gets to her. When he opens the door to her apartment and steps inside, they both say 'And I know you're never gonna understand', which is a mutual thought of 'You'll never understand how happy I am to see you, how much I love you'. Then there is that awkwardness in the apartment. The saying "I would have let you leave" is spoken by the girl first, but then mutually later. Which - to me - symbolizes that they both would have let each other go, if they could. "I would have let you leave = I would have stopped loving you if I could". 'I would have let you go', in other words. The next verse about breath stealing and shaking hands makes me think of how they might have met, or how their friendship is. She's always so beautiful to him, that he can't catch his breath, and whenever she has a problem, she turns to him and he comforts hers. Shaking hands could be that of someone crying, or scared. And he holds them in comfort. When I got to the part about the 'empty halls', it made me think about this song differently. That perhaps it wasn't an unrequited love, but a divorce. Perhaps they had split up due to being unable to have a child, or a child of theirs dying. Empty halls is a term commonly used for 'childless' homes and buildings. I noticed the post before me was asking about that. That's my take on it, anyway. That also works well with the static on the screen - No videos of their children. Of the lives they could have had. It could relate totally to the awkwardness in the apartment earlier in the song, too. I know, I seem to be changing my opinion, but it can be either way. Then the ending, when he's leaving, it could be because the visit is over, and he'll visit again, or it could be that that was their final goodbye. The song is amazing and can be taken in many different lights. Hopefully I helped somehow. (:

I think this song is about a breakup. "I count the steps from where I am, to where I started" implies he's looking back, seeing where he was and where he is now, seeing either the problems(in how I would think) or the happiness(if you think the song is about getting together or something) that has evolved since "where he started". "I tap my feet and close the door to your apartment" tapping of feet can mean you're nervous(nervous of a breakup perhaps?) "I know you're never gonna understand." Means she's never going to understand why he's breaking up with her. "It's too late for you to stop and thing, too late to mention." too late for her to stop and realize that he's trying to breakup with her and too late to say(mention) what she needs to say to get him to stay. "I make a move and spill my drink, to break the tension" he's nervous so he spills his drink and it breaks the awkward tension of what's about to happen. "I know you're never gonna understand." It's the same meaning as above. Just Katie "I'll do my best to follow if I can" saying she's going to do her best to understand what he's about to say and why he's about to say it. "But I would have let you leave" probably the one line in the song I'm not sure about. Maybe saying that if she didn't know he was breaking up with her she would have let him leave? Unlike the other people that have commented, I don't see "The static waves across the screen, define this notion" and "Up and down and in between, like my emotion" as two separate meanings and parts of the song. I see them as one. He's saying the static waves across the screen are up and down and in between. And that they define the notions(his emotions). They're two different ways of saying at the same thing. "And I know you're never gonna understand" again, same meaning. And again, just Katie "And wont you slow this down, oh, if you can?" she's asking him to slow it down because she doesn't want him to do it. She wants the relationship to last as long as possible. "You swayed your hips and stole the breath that I was taking" she distracted him for a moment by her body movements. "I touched your lips and held your hands, when they were shaking" He was touching her lips(whether with his lips or finger or whatever) as a sympathetic movement and he was holding her hands because they were shaking because she was nervous/scared because she cared for him so much. "Look how we've fallen upon our knees" they've given up or been defeated(by love). "How we forgot it" how they forgot love. "These empty halls held our disease" Maybe they fought in a hallway, but then resolved the issue, so the halls held the disease(fights) before they finally had too many and pushed too far and had to break it off. "Now out the door and down the stairs from your apartment" he finished what he went there to do(break up with her) and is now leaving. "I would have let you leave. The static waves across the screen, define this notion. Back and forth and in between, like my emotion. Now out the door and down the stairs from your apartment. I count the steps from where I am to where I started. I would have let you, I would have let you, I would have let you leave." all the same meaning as before. Well that's my interpretation of the song. I just feel that if you take it piece by piece like I did, it just all makes more sense.

From a guys persecpetive who has been on both sides of a break up (broker and brokee)

Its almost evident that he is breaking up with this girl who he has deep feelings for, a girl who made a real impact his life..good and bad.

He is nervous and influx with his decision on breaking ties in the form of a committed relationship with this girl..and how he is 1) insufficient in explain his break up monolog to her. 2) prepare for the girl's reaction to the news of his decision. " I would have let you leave"...but hoping he would come back...cuz she knows that things are bad..and the relationship has some crack that need time to heal.

Obviously, from her hands shaking implies that she knows that it was going to happen, but she has strong emotions for the man. She deeeeply cares and hearing him pronounce his uncommitted heart and prevailing departure from her life and also many aspects she has so happily accommodate to with him

the reason why they broke up \/ \/

"look how we've fallen upon our knees" -signals defeat and giving up. "how we forgot it" - refers to a lov that was lost...time wore it down. "these empty halls held our disease" - infers where they lived in times of dispute "before we caught it" - this line piggybacks the former and suggests that the disease (arguments?) was always there but just played dormant. "now out the door and down the stairs from your apartment" - finally leaves. duh.

That it is my interpretation.

AB handle the break up well with his gf, took the mature route...and declared his volunteer resignation from a staic relationship he knew would not stand the test of time. Life is a bitch that way.

so i know that most of you think that this is about a breakup, but i actually think is baout a guy in love with a girl , but he's not sure if she feels the same, so he paces outside her house thinking if he should tell her how he feels,and when he decides to tell the truth, he spills the drink to break the tension and when he decides to tell her, he realizes that she feels the same and the line " i would have let you leave" i think it's because the girl would never tell him how she feels, she would have let him go without knowing the true. The disease the walls held is methaphor for other people already knew how they felt, only them couldn't see and besides love makes you sick?

I love this song. I get such a visual picture of the scene when I listen to it. Here's how I see it. The guy wants to break up with the girl. He agonizes over it, pacing outside her apartment, tapping his foot nervously. He's nervous because he's sure she won't understand why. She can sense something is up, and he spills his drink to break the tension. I think "static" refers to their stagnant relationship, but I see it visually, like the TV is on and it's all static. And "waves" are part of the back and forth of him arguing with himself whether ending it is right. She wasn't going to make it easy for him though. She kisses him to get him to stay and then he touches her lips and holds her hands cuz she's shaking. I think the next verse is about how they're both slaves to this relationship and I feel like it has something to do with the apartment, like they spend too much time there or something. Next, he's willing himself to leave, but he can't. "I would have let you leave" is such a powerful line to me. I think this is from the girl's perspective and if something had been different, she might have let him leave, and this is her regret for even allowing the possibility.