This Isn't Everything You Are

I think most people will be able to relate to one of the stories related in the verses. I can totally identify with the first one, where one person in a relationship feels inferior and trapped because they know they should leave but can't face being without the other person and letting go, so they regret the entire experience. Whichever part of the song you see yourself in, the chorus brings everyone together and reminds us that we are not defined by our losses/failings, and that we have a lot more to offer and to live for. Definitely a message worth remembering when you're feeling low. Songs like this make you feel much less alone in whatever you're going through. When I listen to it, I remember the pain but also that something positive can and will grow out of it. I always feel like Gary is singing directly to me, and that's totally comforting. It's a very universal and yet personal song. Beautiful.

If that second verse, or at least the line “And you wish you'd never met” was removed, I swear this would be the perfect song to portray an egotistical person who has an estranged, detached relationship with their ailing father, possibly from a young age, and finally learning that he has died, and starts to crumble. This song is intended to bring the person up, and not give up:

“You can’t find the phone so you can call it off But it might be for the best You can’t walk away, anyway Cause you’ve nowhere else to go”

Very direct, the person cannot find a phone so they can’t call the funeral off. But it’s for the best that they go through with the funeral because there’s nowhere to run away to. The last line “Cause you’ve nowhere else to go” may also suggest that the person may feel like they don’t have anyone to share their feelings with after this has happened (because no one knows he knows his father).

“Is he worth all this, is it a simple yes Cause if you have to think, it’s fucked Feels like you’ve loved him more than he loved you And you wish you’d never met"

Is the person caring for his father worth it, because it had always felt like the person loved the father more than the father loved the person. Then came the line that vetoes my whole interpretation.

“You’ve been up all night, and the night before And you’ve lost count of the drinks and time And your friends keep calling, worried sick And there’s strangers everywhere”

The person has been having sleepless nights, and has been drinking endlessly to get themselves through it. The line "And your friends keep calling, worried sick" suggests the person's friends do not know that the person's father has died, or maybe was never aware that the person had a father or knew his father. And when the person disappears off the chart and returns to his hometown, his friends keep calling to ask him where he is. The line “And there’s strangers everywhere” suggests also that the person has never been involved with their father’s life, so when all calls probably from the father’s friends and relatives come, wanting to get confirmation or send condolences, they are unsure who they are speaking to. Also, the line may also suggest that this is a foreign feeling, and they have never had to deal with the death of a closed one before, so the “strangers” would refer to the undertaker, the funeral director, and so on and forth.

“And in one little moment, it all implodes This isn’t everything you are” Breathe deeply in the silence, no sudden moves This isn’t everything you are”

After bottling up their emotions for so long, the person finally breaks down. “This isn’t everything you are” is the singer trying to tell the person that they are stronger than this, and they must not lose it. It also suggests that since the person has never had a close relationship with the father, mourning him was something that he never thought he would ever do.

“Just take the hand that’s offered and hold on tight This isn’t everything you are There’s joy not far from here right, I know there is This isn’t everything you are”

This is telling the person to accept emotional support from whoever it is that’s offering, and “hold on tight”, because eventually, they will come to terms with it, and the sun and happiness will return.

“When you took the call, how could you know That he’d slipped away last night And you wish you’d went home days ago To say goodbye or just hello”

This verse strengthens my interpretation. “The call” refers to the call from the police or the hospital telling the person that the father has died the night before. And the next verse explains how the person feels they should’ve gone home to visit the father the days before, to say a final goodbye or just a simple hello.

holy shit, this song...

Gary has said that this is about "three stories." I think the first verse is about someone who's in a bad relationship, who feels trapped and doesn't know how to get out. It's someone who stays because they can't leave or they feel pressured to stay despite being unhappy.

The second, "You've been up all night, (...) There's strangers everywhere" I think is about an alcoholic who hasn't realized it yet, or someone going through some serious self-destructive behavior and hiding it under "partying."

The third is the saddest to me. It's about someone who has just lost a loved one and missed the chance to say goodbye. The theme of the song is that no matter how bad it is, it will be better. This sadness, this difficulty that dominates your life isn't all you are. I think this is a very beautiful song.

When I first heard this song, my instant response was my experience after my lover committed suicide...

"You can't find the phone, So you can call it off. But it might be for the best You can't walk away, anyway, Cause you've nowhere else to go" -- this line reminds me of the times I was invited to outings... I wanted to numb the emotions instead of dealing with it. I couldn't walk away from the pain but it was best for me to go through grief at my own terms... I couldn't escape.

"Is he worth all this, is it a simple yes? Cause if you have to think, it's fucked Feels like you loved him more, than he loved you And you wish you'd never met" -- I remember times where I thought is the pain he put me through worth it? Because the situation was fucked and he was suicidal... the fact that he left me showed that I loved him so much more than he loved me or himself... At times I felt I wish we never met because of all the "what ifs" in my head.

"You've been up all night, and the night before. You've lost count of drinks and time And your friends keep calling, worried sick, There's strangers everywhere" -- I would be up all night crying, just denying to myself that he will walk in at some point of the night to say, "why are you crying? I never killed myself..." or just "i love you". To avoid that, I went out every night and just drowned myself with alcohol. My friends would call me because my behaviour was becoming unpredictable. Where I live, is a small city where everyone knows everyone... so at nights out, I would meet people who have already heard of me through my lover's suicide and that was their 'way' to talk to me.

"When you took the call, how could you know, That he'd slipped away last night And you wish you went home, days ago To say goodbye or just hello" -- I got the call a few hours after his passing, and I wish I went to his home and tell him it was okay. I wished to be able to say goodbye or to tell him that I loved him.

This is my own interpretation.

There hasn't been a song in a long time, that impressed me that much on first hearing it. Absolutely beautiful :)

Don't think there is any other song that relates to my life right now.

I think it means, there's a girl who wants to stay with a man who sometimes treats her well, but mostly she can't see a future however much she wants to. Because of this she isn't living to her full potential.

Another track, This Isn't Everything You Are, is destined to be another lighters-aloft anthem. Gary says: "When we'd finished that song, we were going, 'F*** me, this could be a big song'. It's three stories in one – each verse is a different person in my life that was going through a tough time.

"Then the chorus is about trying to explain that everything isn't as bad as it might seem."

the most beautiful song i have ever heard. it makes me feel less lost.

Is it "Don't keel over now" or "Don't kill the love now"? I'm from Argentina and I speak English as a second language and this song is really confusing for me. Amazing song however! And the video was made in the city where I live, Buenos Aires.