In my opinion it's about a love that is collapsing:
As for the title "Skinny Love" it could be an affectionate term he gave his petite girlfriend, or maybe the fact that their love is wasting away. The love wasting away is probably more likely.
"Come on skinny love just a year, pour a little salt, we were never here"
Skinny love implies that the love they once shared is no long wholesome and full of joy and that it is wasting away. Salt has healing substances and was once used for wounds to help speed up the healing process. This suggests that he wants to pour salt on the relationship to keep it going, even just for one more year. The fact that the word 'veneer' is used is symbolic as veneer is the thin layers of wood glued together to form plywood - suggesting that apart they are nothing but together they are strong like plywood. The blood and crushed veneer in a sink is as if a vase was broken in a fit of rage.
'Tell my love to wreck it all, cut out all the ropes and let me fall'
This basically is telling us that he wants her to end it as he isn’t strong enough and can’t bring himself to hurt her.
The third stanza is just showing that they blame each other for the deterioration of their relationship.
'I'll be holding all the tickets and you'll be holding all the fines' - this indicates that the one of them feel that they are always in the wrong (This could not be a problem it’s just a problem that can be fixed while the real problem may not be)
Stanza four seems like a mixture of memories, stating why they have gone wrong when we once loved each other so much. Just generally questioning where they went wrong.
Stanza Five: ‘And now all your love is wasted, and then who the hell was I?’ suggests that this love is wasted so what was the point of falling in love at all.
The last part gives us a glimpse as to WHY it went sour - it seems she led him on, that she wasn't that into him- when he really cared for her. It also seems like he is angry about it and asks ‘who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind’ is if asking, who will love you enough to fight for you? As if no one could fight for her as much as he did. He then states that it’s unlikely she'll find anyone worthwhile, no one will be able to love her for all the stuff she puts her partners through.
In my opinion it's about a love that is collapsing:
As for the title "Skinny Love" it could be an affectionate term he gave his petite girlfriend, or maybe the fact that their love is wasting away. The love wasting away is probably more likely.
"Come on skinny love just a year, pour a little salt, we were never here" Skinny love implies that the love they once shared is no long wholesome and full of joy and that it is wasting away. Salt has healing substances and was once used for wounds to help speed up the healing process. This suggests that he wants to pour salt on the relationship to keep it going, even just for one more year. The fact that the word 'veneer' is used is symbolic as veneer is the thin layers of wood glued together to form plywood - suggesting that apart they are nothing but together they are strong like plywood. The blood and crushed veneer in a sink is as if a vase was broken in a fit of rage.
'Tell my love to wreck it all, cut out all the ropes and let me fall' This basically is telling us that he wants her to end it as he isn’t strong enough and can’t bring himself to hurt her.
The third stanza is just showing that they blame each other for the deterioration of their relationship. 'I'll be holding all the tickets and you'll be holding all the fines' - this indicates that the one of them feel that they are always in the wrong (This could not be a problem it’s just a problem that can be fixed while the real problem may not be) Stanza four seems like a mixture of memories, stating why they have gone wrong when we once loved each other so much. Just generally questioning where they went wrong. Stanza Five: ‘And now all your love is wasted, and then who the hell was I?’ suggests that this love is wasted so what was the point of falling in love at all.
The last part gives us a glimpse as to WHY it went sour - it seems she led him on, that she wasn't that into him- when he really cared for her. It also seems like he is angry about it and asks ‘who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind’ is if asking, who will love you enough to fight for you? As if no one could fight for her as much as he did. He then states that it’s unlikely she'll find anyone worthwhile, no one will be able to love her for all the stuff she puts her partners through.