Too Close

I think there is a lot from this song and i totally understand and relate to it... here i'll give you my lyric to lyric breakdown! in brackets is what i understand the meaning to be!

You know I'm not one to break promises (In a relationship you make lots of silly promises you think you can keep at the time because everything has been going great, and you always kinda say i dont break promises, but in the end there comes a time you have to... like something as silly as 'i promise ill never hurt you' Sometimes things dont work out and you have no other option...)

I don't want to hurt you but I need to breathe (the other half, in this case lets say a girlfriend is being too needy in the relationship and making him feel trapped like he cant breathe and has no room, which is soooo frustrating in a relationship so hes kinda apologising for breaking his promise, because he said he wouldn't hurt her but he needs the room to breathe now because it's getting too much)

At the end of it all you're still my best friend (They always say at the end of a relationship they dont want it all to go to waste, when you have a serious relationship it also becomes a massive friendship, and sometimes things can go so much in the wrong direction that it ends up just being that for one person... so he's saying although this is over, your still going to be my best friend, because he will always care, but the love has just gone)

But there's something inside that I need to release Which way is right? Which way is wrong? How do I say that I need to move on? You know we're heading separate ways (He needs to get it off his chest because you find it hard to tell someone you were in love with, especially when you know they still love you as much as you did at the start, and you've been together a long time, how do you tell that person you want to move on? It's such a difficult thing to do and you have no idea how to even start to go about it... You know your going separate ways so they must too, hes kind of making that obvious to her now and bringing it up as a kind of, almost confirmation... its a clear statement... you know we are going our separate ways it what he's saying, you know that its over... He's not straight out saying ITS OVER because he cares enough to not be harsh he's just trying to tell her gently that its finished and she must have expected it)

And it feels like I am just too close to love you (he can't love her anymore.. and he's began to see her as more of a close friend now then a girlfriend, sometimes when you realise you don't quite feel the same for someone as you used to for a few little reasons but stay with them for the benefit of the doubt, and not wanting to ruin all the hard work you've put into the relationship you actually end up moving on whilst still in a relationship, and already just seeing them as a best friend, and not a girlfriend... and he's saying hes just to close to her to love her now, which sounds confusing but if you think of it as he's gotten over his love for her and closeness to her in that way, but still cares about her wellbeing and being her friend, hes still close, in fact to close but cant love her anymore.)

There's nothing I can really say (nothing he can say, sometimes it's hard to explain why things become to different and broken, because we dont always know ourselves its an emotion that kind of can manifest over time because of a few things you didn't like about the relationship and thought about so long, that when it comes down to it, you have no idea, and there really isn't a lot you can say... i mean what do you say??)

I can lie no more I can hide no more Got to be true to myself (self explanatory really he can't pretend its working when it isn't because it's wearing him down and making him unhappy as well, he cant lie and pretend its fine and keep hiding the fact that really its not okay anymore, he has to be honest to himself and to her...) And it feels like I am just too close to love you (same as above) So I'll be on my way (he's saying he's leaving her...)

You've given me more than I can return (he is grateful for all the things she done for him, it isnt personal he appreciated the times they had, but it simply isn't working anymore...)

Yet there's oh so much you deserve (he feels she deserves someone who can love her how she deserves to be loved, how he once loved her, but he knows he can't love her like that again so he's telling her she deserves better, and to have a real shot at being happy instead of trying to make this work because it wont!)

Nothing to say Nothing to do (he has nothing he can say about it and there isnt anything you can both do, you cant work it out)

I've nothing to give (he can't give you the love that he did before, because it isn't there he has nothing to give)

I must live without you (he's saying its hard for him as well, he also has to live without her, but its something he thinks is necessary, although a shame, the relationship is well and truly dead, he knows it will be weird but it isnt fair to carry on, they have to live without each other.... he's letting her know its not just her hurting he does hurt too, but it doesn't make a difference, he's made his choice...) You know we're heading separate ways

And it feels like I am just too close to love you There's nothing I can really say I can lie no more I can hide no more Got to be true to myself And it feels like I am just too close to love you So I'll be on my way So I'll be on my way

And it feels like I am just too close to love you There's nothing I can really say I can lie no more I can hide no more Got to be true to myself And it feels like I am just too close to love you So I'll be on my way So I'll be on my way

So that's what my take is on it!!! In short it's about a relationship thats broken down and can't be repaired, he knows he cant pretend everything is fine anymore and he cant hide the fact its broken down... He just wants to be friends with her, and he cant love her anymore, and he will never love her the way she deserves to be loved so he's trying to break up with her and tell her to move on...

He felt trapped in the relationship and found it really hard to break it off probably because it was serious so you tend to become best friends as well as gf/bf so he didnt want to hurt her, but it was draining him emotionally so he had to get it out of his system and tell her the truth and move on from the relationship!

Explains what happened to me soo well, only reversed... i started to love my other half less and less but didnt want to give up until i realised actually, i don't love him... and i care about him enough to know he should know that i dont love him.. and i want him to know because i know he deserves to be loved by someone who can really love him the way he loved me, and i once loved him... So it got to a point where i had to say it, even though i knew he already knew we 'were going our separate ways' but you kind of have to lay it down on the table and make it really clear, say your goodbyes and your apologies and there isn't an awful lot you can say... only that you know they deserve to be with someone who really loves them, and you deserve to move on and find someone else that you will love...

i think thats exactly what is happening in this song! He's laying down the cards for her, and setting it all straight now... he's ending their relationship and trying to explain why, and its a hard thing to do hence the {nothing to say nothing to do)!

That's my interpretation anyway :D

Not very deep, but it is about a guy who has realized he wants to move on, but is struggling to let go without causing damage. Even so much as struggling with the concept of which is right between staying in the relationship and getting out. I agree with you about the dubstep feel...if you like this, you will like the hook in the song, otherwise it will get overlooked. Great sounding commercial for the new Internet Explorer, but I am not sure the lyrics are the message they want to convey.

The link below is Mr. Clare's meaning behind the song.

http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/alex-clare-talks-too-close-in-this-exclusive-video-interview/10202517

I relate to this song sooo much. Let me break it down on how it represents my situation.

First Part: I know I promised you that we'd be together but I can't do this. You are still one of my closest friends. How can I go about this with out hurting you?

Chorus: We are too good of friends for this to work out. ("too close" means you are too close to this person to feel anything besides a friend love) There is nothing I can say that will make this better but I need to stop lying and faking for your feelings. I can't live this way.

Second Part: You gave me everything you had to offer and you deserve more than I can give. I can't give you anything you want (because the thing you want is my love)

So, yeah I'm going through this. My best guy friend has STRONG feelings for me. I told him once that I did but I don't know what I was thinking. Now I can't go back without hurting him severely. I've put it off for 2 more years (long story) but I'm dreading it.

To me he has fallen out of love and does not know how to get out.

He's promised that he would be with this woman forever but... as time passes, they know one another so well, they know all the ins and outs of each other. There are no more secrets, no mystery, no excitement... The monotony of the relationship has caused something to stir in him, wanting, needing and seeking more. He knows too much about this woman, they are now TOO CLOSE for him to feel the passion and excitement of love. She has become his best friend now but he knows he needs more. Does he stay with her and live a lie, or be true to his self and part ways? He doesn't know how to tell her this cause he doesn't want to hurt her... but she needds someone who can give her the love that he loves knows she deserves. He just can't deliver it anymore.

This is a struggle between the OLD man that fell in love with her and the NEW man he has become because of her.

he is emotionally unavailable...but feels himself getting closer, which could mean true love. He is at the precipice of falling, gotten "too close". So, he's out.
He will have to work on some things within himself to truly be available to receive love. Stop lying to himself...be vulnerable, stop hiding and be free to love.

I'm not native speaking but I do interpret the "too Close" completely different to the other opinions. For me it sounds like "I am afraid I could love you too much, so I prefer to leave before I loose control"... ?!?! To love somebody might mean to give some of your own wishes up and to make compromises etc... so "too close to love" is simply too dangerous... and I think a lot of men (women too) are afraid of loosing control or making compromises... And before "he loves her completely" (he is very / too close to love) he better leaves her... Is there anyone who agrees??

Loved the song since I heard it (From the Internet Explorer commercial).

However...

This song is a total cop-out.

"I'm not one to break promises" "Too close to love you." "At the end of the day, you're still my best friend." "So, I'll be on my way"

As a guy, I'm thinking, this is all total bullshit. It's a song for a guy who's thinking "I've used and abused, and now I'm done. I'm outa here. Here's my canned response. Leave the key in the ashtray when you depart/get-the-hell-out."

It really pisses me off... but it's a great song.

I recently dated a guy I've known for 12 years and I'm 13 years old. So basically I've known him for forever. We broke up the other day because it was AWK-WARD(!!!!) so this song is how it feels. We were too close of friends to really fall in love and it was just so weird.

-Hannah

Great song! :)