XO

What Beyoncé delivers here is a theme that can be found in another works related to poetry: it is a praise to enjoy life and love while it's here. It can be clearly seen in the following stanza, which pretty much sums it up:

"We don't have forever Baby, daylight's wasting You better kiss me Before our time is run out"

Actually, the song reminded of a Latin poet, Catullus, who lived in the first century before Christ and writes some very famous poem to his lover, named Lesbia. He has a very complicated relationship with her, and one sometimes find poems that are a pure delight in their loveliness, but also poems that are very violent, due to Lesbia's disrespectful behaviour.

The poem I'm mentioning here is poem number 5, which basically states the same as XO: Catullus urges Lesbia to kiss him because they do not have that much time to enjoy their lives and what goes with it. The poem uses a lot of the same images as XO. The poem starts with the line "Let us live and love, Lesbia," and soon moves to the central image of the poem:

"Suns may set and yet rise again, but Us, with our brief light, can set but once. One never-ending night must be slept."

I clearly think that this idea is visible in Beyoncé's song. Moreover, Catullus, in the extract above, also plays with the idea of night/day, darkness/light, exactly as Beyoncé does ("the darknest night", "turn my lights out", "glowing", "daylight", etc. etc.).

I'm obviously not saying that Beyoncé copied Catullus, nor even knows Catullus (although she may know him, of course!), but I'd just like to highlight the true power of poetry here: after all, we are all human beings, feeling the same things and sometimes having the same reactions to the same situations. Art is a way of expressing it and no matter when you lived nor where, you may find some similarities about it everywhere - and I truly think this is fascinating! :)

Perhaps this song is about a long distance relationship. They have found one moment to be together and they want to make the most of it and it is very special, "You better kiss me, Before our time is run out."

"Our love is like XO You love me like XO" I think this part, keeping in mind it's a long distance relationship, the XO means the letters or messages they send to each other. When they are apart all they have is that XO.

I think that this song is about those who have lost loved ones and remind us that unexpected things happen, so we should love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you.

There is a common theme running through this song, which is darkness. Could she be referring to death. Beyonce talks of shadows, lights out, darkest night, daylight wasting. So in the impending blackness she seeks for love. In that moment before darkness she longs to be loved.

I think it's about finding a love so strong, that you feel like it could kill you. You're scared because you love that person too much, but in he end you realize that you don't care. You're willing to take the risk ("Baby, love me, lights out"). Maybe the person found this love in a dark time, which is why it became so strong. I don't know, this is just what I think the song is about :)

It's about their love. Their love is so powerful it can't be denied.

I think the song is about forbidden love. Its about two people who are in a dark situation in their lives but in the midst of it all they see each other. My gut tells me they aren't supposed to be in the relationship hence the part about kissing before the darkness sets in..

XO refers to rihanna's face after Chris Brown gets done with her...that's what this is about.

also, while this is a good song, it has been protested by NASA as they are incensed that Beyonce would sample the conversation that is occuring during the shuttle challenger that blew up and killed 7 astronauts in 1986 at the beginning of this song.

Its about a young girl who is torn between two guys .She clearly wants one of the guys more than the other.She wants him to confirm his love for her by kissing her before she gives her heart to the other guy.The other guy seems more available but all she sees is the persona daylights wasting could mean that she is on the verge of giving her heart to other guy but she is anxiously waiting for the confirmation I know there is no other guy who is mentioned in the song but is good to imagine.lol

I know that Beyonce herself has stated that XO is a positive love song, about living in the moment...

But for some reason since the first listen, I thought this was a sad song about a famous couple in the spotlight that do not love each other in private.

The woman feels sad because she is still in love with this man, yet he only shows her love/affection when in the 'light' or spotlight.

To me, the lyrics: "Before they turn the lights out, Before time is runout, Baby love me lights out"

is the woman expressing her hopelessness for the man she loves to show her love even when the lights are out. When no one is watching, when it is just the two of them.

Will he still love me when "they turn the lights out"? In the darkest night? Because "daylights wasting", "you better kiss me" "before they turn the lights out"

"Baby love me lights out?"