I'm only pretty sure that I can't take anymore
Before you take a swing
I wonder what are we fighting for?
When I say out loud
I want to get out of this
I wonder is there anything?
I'm going to miss
I wonder how it's gonna be?
When you don't know me
How's it gonna be?
When you're sure I'm not there
How's it gonna be?
When there's no one there to talk to
Between you and me
'Cause I don't care

How's it gonna be?
How's it gonna be?

Where we used to laugh
There's a shouting match
Sharp as a thumbnail scratch
A silence I can't ignore
Like the hammock by the
Doorway we spent time in, swings empty
I don't see lightning like last fall
When it was always about to hit me
I wonder how's it gonna be?
When it goes down
How's it gonna be?
When you're not around
How's it gonna be?
When you found out there was nothing
Between you and me
'Cause I don't care

How's it gonna be?

And how's it gonna be?
When you don't know me anymore
And how's it gonna be?

Want to get myself back in again
The soft dive of oblivion
I want to taste the salt of your skin
The soft dive of oblivion, oblivion
How's it gonna be?
When you don't know me anymore
How's it gonna be?

How's it gonna be
How's it gonna be


Lyrics submitted by oofus

How's It Going to Be Lyrics as written by Stephan Jenkins Kevin Cadogan

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

How's It Going to Be song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

119 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +21
    General Comment

    I think everyone can agree that this song brings back memories, it just has that type of an atmosphere.. and its so relateable, everyone's been through something like that or similar. But the general feeling i get from the song is....fear. The fear we all have. The fear that we will never be able to go back to the good times that we are missing right now. The fear of change. That, even though you know the situation you are in needs to end (whatever the situation is), not wanting it to end. Not wanting to take that step that will change everything, even if that change is needed. The fear of making the wrong decision, and then realizing your mistake only after its too late. The whole 'This needs to happen, but....what's it gonna be like? When i can't talk to you anymore?' The lines "How's it gonna be..when you don't know me? How's it gonna be..when you're sure i'm not there? How's it gonna be..when there's noone there to talk to..between you and me" capture that feeling perfectly. The hesitation. The unsure-ness. The fear. They won't know your life, your problems, your joys anymore. They won't know YOU anymore. The thought that someone who is so much a part of your life right now....will eventually be nothing. It's terrifying.

    meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeon March 22, 2012   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    This song is definitely about someone who knows he has to get out of the relationship but he's not quite ready yet. He's sitting down wondering how it'll be when they're finally over; they won't associate with eachother anymore so it'll be like the don't know eachother. He wishes he could go back to the way things used to be when he was cluelessly in love and that's why he's hesitant to end the relationship.

    FavSongon July 04, 2012   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    There's an entire aspect to breaking up that deals with something other than the initial sadness and hurt you feel when the break-up happens. This part deals with the feelings that happen afterward. Its the feeling you get when you realize you aren't going to be able to see, hear from, talk to that someone you have spend so much time getting close with. It is a powerful longing feeling, and I think this song really does an excellent job tapping into that level. This song is very powerful, and sometimes I have a hard time listening to it. It's heartbreaking.

    amc83on August 11, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Three words: Stupid highschool romance...Not to say I don't miss those days, this song captures that for me.

    thisboyon January 28, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song reminds me of my my EX so bad i just think maybe if she could have changed and stop what she was doing i wouldnt have broken up with her.. Shitty Days

    MacBlueson December 12, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    When a girl dumps a nice guy..it sucks! The boy starts singing, how's it gonna be...

    MisterMeaningon June 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song because it reminds me of me and my boyfriend, we break up like all the time...and I wonder how it's gonna be when we don't get back together. You gotta love the sad depressing songs that you can relate to.

    twisteron January 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is the most amazing song in the world! The 4th and 5th lines hit me every time! There aren't even words for this one.....

    riskbreaker419on April 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is a really great song. "i wanna taste the salt from your skin"

    pumpkingirlon May 04, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Okay, this is defintiely a song about a relationship that's going down the drain. It starts out telling about the relationship and what's wrong with it. The chorus goes into "How's it going to be / When you don't know me anymore", that part seems almost spiteful towards the girl. Then, during the bridge, he reveals that he really doesn't want it to end ("I wanna get myself back in again / The soft dive of oblivion / I wanna taste the salt of your skin") Overall, I really like this song. One of my favorites on 3EB.

    SweetestSirenon May 15, 2002   Link

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

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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"
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
American Town
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.