Wrecking Ball Heart

I think this is a post breakup song where he is reflecting on a failed relationship.

Paper chain is dwindling We don’t talk much anymore Everything’s forgiven Fingertips at rest once more

They are talking less and less but he is at peace with the situation. Fingertips at rest one more could mean he has stopped writing songs about her emphasizing he is over whatever happened.

You had your suspicion I never gave you true romance In light of your ambition You stock pile ammunition Though you never had a fighting chance

The girl believed he never really loved her. Despite wanting to believe she was loved she gathered proof to show him that he never really cared. She never got to make this argument because he broke up with her before she got the chance.

Just like an intruder now You come and leave so quietly You barely crack the door

She was part of his life but now she is gone, leaving little to be remembered by.

Am I just confused Or did our hearts that beat so wild and free Forget who they beat for?

He is second guessing how he feels. The feeling isn't the same as it once was but he may have a similar feeling for someone else.

Red light just stopped blinking Tied down but my hands are free Some nights I still think of you My digital calamity Oh you were never real to me

Another emphasis on the fact that they're talking less and less. Red light just stopped blinking means she is no longer leaving him messages. Although he is free (single) he still feels connected/committed to her. He still thinks of her but not in a way he used to. He sees the relationship as one that never showed potential to develop into something deeper, hence "you were never real to me."

Ours is a mad mad heartache And mine is a wrecking ball heart Ours is a mad mad heartache And mine is a wrecking ball heart

The relationship wasn't right for either one of them, but he had to be the one that broke her heart.

Oh I I can’t be stopped Sometimes the wrecking ball drops I tear this house down to build it back up

He has to do what he knows is best, no matter what the cost. While the relationship may seem solid on the outside he is not happy. He decided to "tear down" a perfect relationship in hopes of finding something better.

"Paper chain is dwindling We don’t talk much anymore Everything’s forgiven Fingertips at rest once more"

They're in a long distance relationship, depending on alternate forms of communication (such as texts). The distance is pulling them apart, and the texts stop coming.

"You had your suspicion I never gave you true romance In light of your ambition You stock pile ammunition Though you never had a fighting chance"

She doesn't feel fulfilled in the relationship. He can't give her everything she needs because he's always on the road. She feels as if music comes before her. She tries to fight it, but can't.

"Just like an intruder now You come and leave so quietly You barely crack the door"

They see each other for only a few days at a time. She's gone so quickly its like she was never even there.

"Am I just confused Or did our hearts that beat so wild and free Forget who they beat for?"

They're so wrapped up in their own lives and worn down by the mundane routine of their relationship that they forget to care for each other wholeheartedly.

"Red light just stopped blinking Tied down but my hands are free"

Another reference to the fact that their texts are slowing down. He's still in the relationship, but they're barely communicating. They're not really IN it.

"Some nights I still think of you My digital calamity Oh you were never real to me"

He's never really had the time to settle down with her. He thinks of her as more of a voice over the telephone, a text, or a screen, rather than a real person. Its been more of a "digital relationship" than anything.

"Ours is a mad mad heartache And mine is a wrecking ball heart Ours is a mad mad heartache And mine is a wrecking ball heart

Oh I I can’t be stopped Sometimes the wrecking ball drops I tear this house down to build it back up"

It hurts him because he wants a real relationship with her. He wants for them to care for each other, but has not been able to do that. He wants to start from scratch and build the relationship that he really wants. He's willing to tear down everything they've built, in order for this fresh start.

After a two year long distance relationship, this is what Wrecking Ball Heart means to me. Fleeting visits, fading ability to keep things strong, and mad, mad heartache.