This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Open hearts
Empty spaces
Dusty roads
To distant places
But all the time
When I'm alone
I think of you
And how you've grown
Far and wide
Sweet and simple
Jehovah knows
That I've been sinful
But if Jesus comes to take your hand
I won't let go, I won't let go
I'm not cruel
And you're not evil
And we're not like
All those stupid people
Who can't decide
Which book to read
Unless the paper
Sows the seed
You're the kind of person
That I've always wanted to be with
Well you're really cool
And you always say the right things to me
But now I'll tell you something
For my heart beats for you deep inside
You'll never be a burden
And my love for you will never die
Never die, never die, never die, never die
But if Jesus comes to take your hand
I won't let go, I won't let go
But if Jesus comes to take your hand
I won't let go, I won't let go
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
I swear it's getting warmer
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
I'm gonna live 'til I die
I'm gonna live to get high
Empty spaces
Dusty roads
To distant places
But all the time
When I'm alone
I think of you
And how you've grown
Far and wide
Sweet and simple
Jehovah knows
That I've been sinful
But if Jesus comes to take your hand
I won't let go, I won't let go
I'm not cruel
And you're not evil
And we're not like
All those stupid people
Who can't decide
Which book to read
Unless the paper
Sows the seed
You're the kind of person
That I've always wanted to be with
Well you're really cool
And you always say the right things to me
But now I'll tell you something
For my heart beats for you deep inside
You'll never be a burden
And my love for you will never die
Never die, never die, never die, never die
But if Jesus comes to take your hand
I won't let go, I won't let go
But if Jesus comes to take your hand
I won't let go, I won't let go
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
I swear it's getting warmer
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
Good times around the corner
I'm gonna live 'til I die
I'm gonna live to get high
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
This song reminds me of my kid whom I lsot to a custody case, i hardly saw her for 5 years and this line kept coming back to me "But if Jesus comes to take your hand I won't let go, I won't let go...." Shes 14 and i meet her regularly now