Limit to Your Love

If you've heard the rest of James Blake's music, it may come clear that Feist's song is perfect for the underrated talent James Blake possesses. Yes, it is simple and the instrumentals are not complex either, but what makes James Blake so powerful is the fact that his silence in a song is just as important as those two piano chords. Listening to this song, I'm left in the silence waiting for the song to continue and that's exactly what Blake is trying to achieve. Many times, music is simplified to create more emotion. Give Radiohead's Videotape a listen and you may understand the effect of a stripped down recording.

I was listening to this song in class and just about lost myself when the lower bass-line started. My pants may be a bit wet.

So I think I figured out the meaning of the lyrics. When he says "there's a limit to your love", he means it in a sarcastic way, he really means there is no limit to your love. Why I think this is right after he says "like a water fall in slow motion," water falls pretty much go on forever and one in slow motion would last way longer. And on a land map oceans act as the borders because there is no more land to go to. A map with no ocean wouldn't have a limit on it.

I believe this song critiques the character of one who is superficial in their approach to loving others. The best example of this is in the lyric:

"Like a map with no ocean" - The map being the physical object which serves as an indicator for traversing the ocean. Without an ocean, the map remains only an item.

"Like a waterfall in slow motion" - The beauty of the waterfall is captured only in fragments. A waterfall is a reflection of the flow of nature. To slow it down is to deceive the viewer into seeing only the beauty of the water and not where it comes from.

Wow, James Blake is amazing! This song is pure poetry ( sample of limit to your love by Feist) the video is equally as brilliant.

like the great bluesmen, the repetition is a major part of the song-structure, like john lee hooker for instance or in any other blues and soul artists, i can hear that in some of James Blakes music, but it is performed in a modern, urban way, great stuff anyway,

I'm sorry MrFrog, if one of the reasons you hate this song is because you dislike the way he pronounces the word "water" you clearly need to better understand how to critique someone's art instead of criticize it. I'd enjoy to see you do what James Blake does. Who played at Coachella?? He did. Did I see your name on that lineup? NOPE. Peace MrFrog PS I dig SeeSaw

I feel like this song is about someone who is supposedly in love, but they aren't actually fully immersed in love; there's a limit to it. They would not do anything for the object of their affection like true love, rather, it's a fleeting thing that they claim is love when it's really just a slight emotional attachment that has no way of standing the test of time. He knows that it's not going to last and that it isn't genuine: "There's a limit to you care/ So carelessly there, is it truth or dare/ There's a limit to your care." A map without an ocean is incomplete, it isn't whole. I'm still trying to grasp what "a waterfall in slow motion" signifies... I feel like I'm so close to it but I can't quite sort out my thoughts. I get the feeling that James Blake is hurt that the person doesn't truly care. This song is just amazing. Perfect in every way. I definitely agree with tee2thawhyon on the use of negative space. In lots of ways it's more meaningful than songs with tons of layers.

Have to agree with MrFog this song is just boring and repetitive. It's trying to be way deeper than it really is. Two piano chords and some awful nonsense lyrics don't make a great song.

One of the most boring dreary go nowhere songs I have ever heard. The dull plinky plonky piano backing and James's inability to say the word water properly is also very annoying every time it comes on the radio. It wouldn't be so bad but this dull monotonous tone continues through the whole songs and just keeps repeating the same few lines over and over. Don't get me wrong, I like The Smiths for christ's sake and there is nothing wrong with slow love songs, but at least they contain a tune and not just an opiate addled monkey hitting the odd piano key.