I'm concerned when you look at my face
You're excited for no reason
I look lost with a drink in my hand
What you think is fair ain't even even
It's cold outside from my expression
Take the scarf and wrap it around my neck
Loosen up my tie
At least for now
Trying to avoid disappointment
At least for now
One finger at a time, I turn the pages, yeah
Right leg crossed while you're smoking a cigarette
Camera's on the couch, ain't nobody taking pictures
Throw my arms around you, bear witness
The stripes on my shirt can you read between the lines
You sip champagne while I sip on red wine
Never mind me watching you, never mind the tension
Please excuse me while I dance, I forgot to mention
I'm going on strike
At least for now
Trying to avoid disappointment
At least for now
Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah
Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
At least for now, at least for now, oh
You're excited for no reason
I look lost with a drink in my hand
What you think is fair ain't even even
It's cold outside from my expression
Take the scarf and wrap it around my neck
Loosen up my tie
At least for now
Trying to avoid disappointment
At least for now
One finger at a time, I turn the pages, yeah
Right leg crossed while you're smoking a cigarette
Camera's on the couch, ain't nobody taking pictures
Throw my arms around you, bear witness
The stripes on my shirt can you read between the lines
You sip champagne while I sip on red wine
Never mind me watching you, never mind the tension
Please excuse me while I dance, I forgot to mention
I'm going on strike
At least for now
Trying to avoid disappointment
At least for now
Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah
Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
At least for now, at least for now, oh
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
"At Least For Now" as written by Jason Boyd Bernard Harvey
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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We begin the song with a complex, wordless exchange: “I’m concerned when you look at my face/You’re excited for no reason.” The speaker is guessing based on another person’s expression what she is thinking based on his expression (genders aren’t specified, but I’ll refer to the speaker as male and the other person as female, just to keep track). What’s more, he even seems unsure of his own inner thoughts, as he is reading himself as if from the outside: “I look lost,” “It’s cold outside from my expression.” Initially he treats not only her, but himself, as a stranger he must study. He has come to some conclusion about what she must be feeling, because he speculates on “what you think is fair,” but there is no indication that they are speaking. What we have is two people staring wordlessly at one another, trying to intuit their mental states.
And, accordingly, the rest of this verse and much of the second verse are concerned with outward appearance, as the two study one another. (I’ll skip the chorus and return to it later.) The speaker is loosening a tie and accepting a scarf; they sit on a couch; she is smoking; he is embracing her; they are both drinking. He mentions “ain’t nobody takin’ pictures,” so there are no external witnesses, but there need not be—they are laser-focused on one another’s movements. Importantly, he sings “Throw my arms around you, bear witness.” He is affirming that his action here, the only one that makes it clear they are touching, is not him pretending, but truly “bears witness” to his emotions. He cares for her. But he cannot access her internal state, and must continue to guess at her reaction to his appearance: “The stripes on my shirt, can you read between the lines?” He wonders if they’re on the same page.
In the last few lines, he seems to escape the tense situation, dismissing the guessing game that has sprung up between them: “Never mind me watching you, never mind the tension.” He goes to dance, “going on strike,” apparently giving up on being able to read her mind or have her understand his. And here the chorus, which may seem out of place in the rest of the song, begins to make sense: in contrast to the verses, it is all about what he is thinking and feeling, making it clear that we are now completely sharing in his thoughts, but not hers.
And what does he think? That at least for now, he’s trying to avoid disappointment—the disappointment of potentially learning that, contrary to appearances, they are not in sync at all. At least for now, he turns the pages, trying not to get stuck in these difficult moments.
The “right leg crossed” could symbolize the partner’s closed-off attitude. The camera on the couch, a reminder of the couple’s past, a piece of nostalgia haunting the singer as they occupy the same space as their partner. They are desperately trying to get them to connect and see how much the singer loves the, though they also openly admit to their sins within the relationship (“stripes on my shirt’). The partner sipping champagne could symbolize their celebration of their distance, while his grief is reflected in his consumption of red wine.
They now that the situation isn’t sustainable, but they’re willing to keep it going for a while longer.
“At Least for Now” strikes a great balance between chill and mature. The music behind the lyrics is soft and relaxing. It’s a perfect background track for a lazy day at home in your vaguely rundown suburban apartment. Many of the lyrics enhance the music’s lowkey and subdued energy, as Bieber sings about a normal day at home with his partner. She loosens his tie for him when he gets home, and they spend the rest of the day together. They smoke, sip alcohol, and dance as they “[try] to avoid disappointment.” And isn’t that what the nicest days of our lives are like? Just hanging out with the person we love? Whether you answer yes or no, that’s the kind of day that Bieber describes here, and he certainly seems to like it.
But the song isn’t only about being a couch potato at home. It’s easy to get distracted by its chill vibes, but the lyrics convey something deeper. “At Least for Now” is about enjoying the good times while they last. Behind Bieber’s dancing and drinking, there’s a feeling that those good times he’s enjoying are going to end. But he’s not afraid, nor is he in despair. Right now, life is going well for him, and he’s not questioning it. And he’s not trying to cling desperately to the current moment, either. He tells his partner that the “Camera's on the couch, ain't nobody taking pictures.” They’re too busy living and loving each other to worry about capturing the moment in a photograph. “At least for now,” they’re together and happy. No matter whether or not something bad happens tomorrow, they have this moment. And that’s enough.
What you think is fair ain't even even
...is just a mirage she sees because she doesn’t know the scars and experiences from the hurtful past deep within, the broken hearts, the divided paths, the tears, the sorrow and memories that pain even to this day. Bur even so, he still tries to stand up on his feet, struggles to forget all done in the past and just plays along with the emotions of the girl in front of him and dance, dance till all the sorrow is gone, all the disappointments are gone. Gone, just for the moment.