The One That Got Away

I think this is autobiographical of Joy and JP. If you watched their Grammy acceptance speech, you could cut the tension with a knife. Not to mention the chemistry on their last album. I think they indulged a fantasy that both knew was wrong but that, once fulfilled, ended up being worse for both parties. It seems to me like it was Joy chasing JP. Once whatever happened, it created the aforementioned tension and probably led to their split.

I think the song is talking about the typical "I wish I'd never met you" thing. I think that they were going through a time where someone screwed up, and in the very moment, they had wished they had never met them. Although, there is a haunting memory of all the good things that came out of it, something happened that broke that trust.

"I miss the way you wanted me When I was staying just out of your reach Begging for the slightest touch Ooh, you couldn't get enough, mmm"

That is the symbol of all the good memories.

"I never meant to get us in this deep I never meant for this to mean a thing Oh, I wish you were the one Wish you were the one that got away

I got caught up by the chase And you got high on every little bit I wish you were the one Wish you were the one that got away"

That symbolizes that everything that happened was rushed, but at the same time, so caught up in the moment that they didn't even realize what was going on.
And then the chorus tells you all about how all these things made them feel that way. They wished they'd never met them, they wished that person was the one that got away. It's a longing of wishing to undo time, and let them walk away. It was all just an image in their head, come to life, and gone wrong. I think that's what the song is about.

Wow this song is absolutely fantastic. The chorus is so passionate!

This song is very relatable, obviously about someone stuck in a relationship that was going so well, but somewhere along the way things went wrong and now they are committed to each other and there is a lot of bitterness and resentment.

If this is really autobiographical of Joy/JP, that is absolutely insane. It really explains the oddness of the entire situation, of them being mysteriously on hiatus both before and after a new album drops. IF it's truly meant to be autobiographical (disclaimer: speculation) then it's pretty clear they had an affair and I wonder if the line about wishing the relationship was "just a longing gone without a trace" means they had a baby together (the trace being left behind being a baby).

I know that's probably crass to speculate about and it could be 100% incorrect but I know Joy just had a baby, so just throwing that out there.. just something I pondered as I read the lyrics. Of course, it could be just about others finding out about an affair as well.

One thing's for sure, it's insane how the tone and content of the album shifted from Barton Hollow to self-titled. Considering they are oddly on hiatus, it's clear SOMETHING pretty serious happened, probably romantic, and definitely more serious than your typical band in-fighting.

I have to agree with a couple of the comments already about this being autobiographical. If so, that's pretty gutsy to make it the opening single of their brand new album. But as Hank used to say, there's no apologies for a great song. If you're in the line of fire when the writer is creating, you're fair game.

Their sudden tour cancellation when they were at the very cusp of exploding in popularity was more than strange. The sexual chemistry of their stage act was obvious to anyone watching. SOMETHING had to happen, or almost happen. And I think this song is one artistic perspective on that. One way or the other it's a heck of a song. This has echoes of some of the great incredibly personal material that filled Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors". Not bad company. I'm glad they're still around.