Collide Lyrics

Lyric discussion by anjaba 

Cover art for Collide lyrics by Howie Day

This is how I interpret the lyrics: The narrator is a boy (or man) who is quiet ("I'm quiet, you know") and sees himself as weak in some way. The subject of the song is a girl he's been observing, admiring, and putting on a pedestal; he sees her as a confident leader who knows where she's going ("You make a first impression"), a source of strength. The problem is that when she responds to his pursual of her, she opens up and shows her weakness and wants to lean on someone (him), while he's not sure he wants her to because he liked leaning on her.

"The dawn is breaking A light shining through You're barely waking And I'm tangled up in you"

The first verse conveys that he's liked her a long time and she is just "waking up" to him and beginning to fall in love. "The dawn is breaking" on their relationship.

"I'm open, you're closed Where I follow, you'll go I worry I won't see your face Light up again"

This second stanza of the first verse relates that the narrator sees himself as a follower, and the girl as a leader. She is strong and has set ways of doing things ("closed") and makes a path where she goes that he is "open" to just following. The last two lines of the stanza are a response to his realization that she's actually looking at him the same way he's looking at her. SHE'S the strong brilliant one, SHE'S got it all together. If she sees me as something great, that can't be good for her. He's losing his illusion; he liked just observing her from afar and having this warped sense of who she is--no one can be completely strong all the time, but that's what he enjoyed believing about her.

"Even the best fall down sometimes Even the wrong words seem to rhyme Out of the doubt that fills my mind I somehow find, you and I collide"

The first chorus shows that the narrator is coming to terms with the fact that the girl he admires might have weaknesses ("Even the best fall down sometimes") and he actually seems to be realizing that things could still be okay between them. He is toying with the notion that even the most unlikely matches can work ("Even the wrong words seem to rhyme"), so maybe a strong girl really could love a weak boy.

"I'm quiet, you know You make a first impression I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind"

Again, he is scared ("to know [he's] always on [her] mind") because he wanted to just sit back and let her be everything, but she is actually giving him credit as a person, which also puts responsibility on him.

"Even the best fall down sometimes Even the stars refuse to shine Out of the back you fall in time I somehow find, you and I collide"

This is where it gets confusing and I'd greatly appreciate some input. The second line is clearly about the girl desiring to be out of the lime-light for a while, but i don't understand the third line. What is "the back"? She "falls in time"--is that like, in time with a beat, as in, she becomes a follower? Or what?

"Don't stop here I've lost my place I'm close behind"

A little bridge--not sure exactly about this either. I've thought a bit about the idea that maybe this is the girl speaking now because if you look at the last chorus:

"Even the best fall down sometimes Even the wrong words seem to rhyme Out of the doubt that fills your mind You finally find, you and I collide"

SHE is the one that had doubts now. So what's that about??

Wow!! I know this is forever ago.. but I truely love how you interpreted this song.. this goes exactly with my situation ... This song has been following me for years & I fell so much in love with this song & somehow Ive come to this exact interpretation you have made... Now Im the one (the girl) with the doubts. Amazing... THANKS.

That is such a good interpretation! Fantastic in fact! What I think "Out of the back you fall in time" means is that out of nowhere she suddenly seems to fit back into normal society, as a normal person, and not a super extraordinary person. Basically I think another way to say it is: "Out of nowhere you fall back in line". And when I say in line, I mean as in like back in in line with the rest of us!

And the part that says "Don't stop here I've lost my place I'm close behind" I think just...

Firstly, now I'm thinking he said exactly:

"Even the stars refuse to shine Out of the back you fall in time"

is because it comes after "Even the best fall down sometimes" and the start of each line sounds like the next two lines:

"Even the wrong words seem to rhyme Out of the doubt that fills my mind"

And also I've been thinking about part that says:

"Don't stop here I've lost my place I'm close behind"

And I am now thinking that it isn't the girl saying that, but it...