I think in this song she is talking generally about relationships at a young age, where you know they're going to end because you have so many dreams that you want to come to reality and can't really stay in a relationship while making those dreams come true. However, she is in a relationship that has ended, just like all those previous to it, and she knew it was going to end, but it's hurting more than it should for just a young relationship. She's surprised at how much she misses the person after they've broken up.
"and we drop drop tears like tallymarks
and it builds like snow and it keeps us apart
and i drop drop tears like tallymarks
and i'm keeping score so i keep us apart"
I think this part is talking about all her previous relationships. She cries over them, but they are just tallymarks because she knows they were bound to end because she is not ready to settle down. However, with each "tallymark" she is becoming more and more afraid of being vulnerable with someone, and this keeps her "apart" from the new person she is dating. Perhaps this is what caused the breakup.
"so don't don't don't explain love to me
love love love is not why we leave
it is real life dreams, make-believe people
you can't build cathedrals out of finger steeples"
This part seems to be her explaining that she knows how to love, but love isn't the point of the relationships she's had in the past. She says love is not why we leave, we might love a person, but leave because of real life dreams and we can't realize those dreams vaia "finger steeples", aka we can't expect our dreams to come true just because we are with the right person, we must make those dreams come true for ourselves.
I think in this song she is talking generally about relationships at a young age, where you know they're going to end because you have so many dreams that you want to come to reality and can't really stay in a relationship while making those dreams come true. However, she is in a relationship that has ended, just like all those previous to it, and she knew it was going to end, but it's hurting more than it should for just a young relationship. She's surprised at how much she misses the person after they've broken up.
"and we drop drop tears like tallymarks and it builds like snow and it keeps us apart and i drop drop tears like tallymarks and i'm keeping score so i keep us apart"
I think this part is talking about all her previous relationships. She cries over them, but they are just tallymarks because she knows they were bound to end because she is not ready to settle down. However, with each "tallymark" she is becoming more and more afraid of being vulnerable with someone, and this keeps her "apart" from the new person she is dating. Perhaps this is what caused the breakup.
"so don't don't don't explain love to me love love love is not why we leave it is real life dreams, make-believe people you can't build cathedrals out of finger steeples"
This part seems to be her explaining that she knows how to love, but love isn't the point of the relationships she's had in the past. She says love is not why we leave, we might love a person, but leave because of real life dreams and we can't realize those dreams vaia "finger steeples", aka we can't expect our dreams to come true just because we are with the right person, we must make those dreams come true for ourselves.