I think it's a combination of what everyone is saying above. The first thing I notice, and I'm drunk when I type this so even that is skewed, but the first thing I notice is this:
"I promised to leave if you ever went cold"
followed in the next verse by:
"I'm losing my baby on promises kept"
He's referring to the first promise in the second verse. He was dating this girl and he basically told her, listen, if we're not going to have sex, we can't be together, I need sex, you can't be cold to me when I love you so much. He really did love her and didn't want to leave her, that's why it was so hard and a song was written about it. But in the end, he left her because she wouldn't embrace his love in a physical way anymore.
The phrase "What are you for now that I have hardcore?" and it's obviously hardcore, I don't know why this is being disputed at all, but that's what it is and it could be interpreted two ways. The girl's cold fever is actually a porn addiction and that's why she doesn't have sex with him. Unlikely, but possible. Or, he's telling himself that to get over the love he had for her, because he understands that the reason he's leaving her might not be justified. Is love affirmed by the actual physical act of love making? I mean, so many of our relationships that we consider to be love have no sexual attraction whatsoever. Why does he need to have sex from a girl he believes he truly loves?
It goes even deeper than that, but again, I'm drunk so I won't elaborate anymore. This is what makes The National's lyrics so great though, a line like "What are you for now that I have hardcore?" It obviously has a profound meaning and is in the context of a personal relationship. He's questioning himself - the lyric itself is posed as a question and it's directed at someone else. Amazing.
I think it's a combination of what everyone is saying above. The first thing I notice, and I'm drunk when I type this so even that is skewed, but the first thing I notice is this:
"I promised to leave if you ever went cold"
followed in the next verse by:
"I'm losing my baby on promises kept"
He's referring to the first promise in the second verse. He was dating this girl and he basically told her, listen, if we're not going to have sex, we can't be together, I need sex, you can't be cold to me when I love you so much. He really did love her and didn't want to leave her, that's why it was so hard and a song was written about it. But in the end, he left her because she wouldn't embrace his love in a physical way anymore.
The phrase "What are you for now that I have hardcore?" and it's obviously hardcore, I don't know why this is being disputed at all, but that's what it is and it could be interpreted two ways. The girl's cold fever is actually a porn addiction and that's why she doesn't have sex with him. Unlikely, but possible. Or, he's telling himself that to get over the love he had for her, because he understands that the reason he's leaving her might not be justified. Is love affirmed by the actual physical act of love making? I mean, so many of our relationships that we consider to be love have no sexual attraction whatsoever. Why does he need to have sex from a girl he believes he truly loves?
It goes even deeper than that, but again, I'm drunk so I won't elaborate anymore. This is what makes The National's lyrics so great though, a line like "What are you for now that I have hardcore?" It obviously has a profound meaning and is in the context of a personal relationship. He's questioning himself - the lyric itself is posed as a question and it's directed at someone else. Amazing.