"Separated by skin ‘til we let ourselves in"
I hear this song saying that humans remain foreign and distant from one another unless they choose to be intimate. However, that choice involves making oneself vulnerable. It requires having faith in the people you are letting in; trusting that they won't judge, hurt or scar you. When the lead singer comments, "it's hard to take risks with a pessimist," he is explaining that it is hard to achieve intimacy with his partner because she/(he, if gay) is too cynical to have complete faith in him. He may also be commenting on the fear he feels when trying to let her in. Knowing that she is a pessimist, he knows that she/he is quick to judge things negatively, including whatever parts of himself that he shows her/(him).
"Separated by skin ‘til we let ourselves in" I hear this song saying that humans remain foreign and distant from one another unless they choose to be intimate. However, that choice involves making oneself vulnerable. It requires having faith in the people you are letting in; trusting that they won't judge, hurt or scar you. When the lead singer comments, "it's hard to take risks with a pessimist," he is explaining that it is hard to achieve intimacy with his partner because she/(he, if gay) is too cynical to have complete faith in him. He may also be commenting on the fear he feels when trying to let her in. Knowing that she is a pessimist, he knows that she/he is quick to judge things negatively, including whatever parts of himself that he shows her/(him).