Ok, well first off, this is my favorite Arctic Monkeys song. Everything - the lyrics, Alex's voice, the instrumentals - is so incredibly beautiful,
Anyway, my interpretation:
In summary:
A woman goes away from home because she's restless/discontent with her boyfriend/fiance/husband etc.. She meets our main character, the young man who also went on vacation just to get away from stuff at home. The 2 have an affair which at first is just a bonus for the guy but he quickly falls in love with her. However, he sees that she's not in love with him but actually really loves the guy back at home but she doesn't realize it/want to accept it, and that she's probably been having flings with a bunch of guys (& not calling them back) and that he's just one of these guys. He loves her a lot though so hopes she figures out that she loves this guy back at home by New Year's Eve b/c once she does she'll be happy. And the whole "only one's who know" thing refers to how the young man realizes that the whole ordeal b/w the woman & this guy back at home really has nothing to do with the young man and that he's kind of just a blip in the middle of them figuring out their relationship.
Breakdown:
"In a foreign place the saving grace was the feeling
That it was a heart that he was stealing"
This young man has gone away to a foreign country, but he had not been enjoying himself until he met a woman also away from home (who has a boyfriend, fiance, husband, or someone back at home).
"Oh, he was ready to impress and the fierce excitement"
He's getting a thrill out of wooing her that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he's the one she's cheating with.
"The eyes are bright; he couldn't wait to get away
I bet the Juliet was just the icing on the cake
Make no mistake, no"
This just explains how the young man had just really wanted to get away from home in the first place, he hadn't planned to have this affair. The name Juliet is used to emphasize that their fling is forbidden as Romeo and Juliet's was.
"And even if somehow you could have shown you the place you wanted"
The woman originally went away from home, looking for something. Judging by the rest of the song, she probably is unsure of her relationship with her boyfriend/husband whoever back at home and she's trying to reevaluate who she is and see whether there's someone else out there for her. But she's found that she's not falling in love with the guy she's with on vacation now, even though he wishes she was because he's fallen in love with her.
"Well, I'm sure you could have made it that bit better on your own"
She would've been better off without having met/had an affair with him
"And I bet she told a million people that she'd stay in touch
Well, all the little promises - they don't mean much"
The girl probably has been with many guys on this vacation (because she's restless at home) but each time realized she's still unhappy so made empty promises to each guy that she'd call them but of course she never would.
"When there's memories to be made
And I hope you're holding hands by New Years Eve"
Despite the young man being in love with the woman, he realizes that she really is in love with the guy back at home (even if she herself doesn't realize it) and hopes that she can figure it out by New Year's Eve.
"They made it far too easy to believe
That true romance can't be achieved these days"
These lines are so sad because they refer to both:
The young man hoping that she goes back to this guy at home because it's what will make her happy in the end and they can ultimately have this "true romance" that's supposedly impossible
But it also takes a stab at how he's now in love with this woman who he's destined never to achieve a "true romance" with.
"And even if somehow you could have shown you the place you wanted
Well, I sure you could have made it that bit better on your own"
He's thinking: "If I could've somehow made her fall in love with me..." then realizes no, they were never meant to be together.
"You are the only ones who know "
I think this has to do with the woman and the guy she has back at home and how something is going on b/w them that the young man isn't a part of. He realizes he's just some guy she met one randomly on vacation that is just a blip in the woman figuring out her relationship with this other man.
@lainereg@lainereg Ding ding ding!!!!! I liked the other theories too but yeah.. you are dead on. His lyrics are poetic yet blunt and to the point and this is exactly what is happening. Thanks for laying it out for us to read. I definitely cry hearing this song that's exactly why. The music creates a perfect setting for the story and i can even hear in his voice, the respect he has for the reality and logic in the tragic ending to the dream fling. He knows he's just playing a seat filler and reveals his underlying acceptance through...
@lainereg@lainereg Ding ding ding!!!!! I liked the other theories too but yeah.. you are dead on. His lyrics are poetic yet blunt and to the point and this is exactly what is happening. Thanks for laying it out for us to read. I definitely cry hearing this song that's exactly why. The music creates a perfect setting for the story and i can even hear in his voice, the respect he has for the reality and logic in the tragic ending to the dream fling. He knows he's just playing a seat filler and reveals his underlying acceptance through his observant attention to the situation in entirety.
Ok, well first off, this is my favorite Arctic Monkeys song. Everything - the lyrics, Alex's voice, the instrumentals - is so incredibly beautiful,
Anyway, my interpretation: In summary: A woman goes away from home because she's restless/discontent with her boyfriend/fiance/husband etc.. She meets our main character, the young man who also went on vacation just to get away from stuff at home. The 2 have an affair which at first is just a bonus for the guy but he quickly falls in love with her. However, he sees that she's not in love with him but actually really loves the guy back at home but she doesn't realize it/want to accept it, and that she's probably been having flings with a bunch of guys (& not calling them back) and that he's just one of these guys. He loves her a lot though so hopes she figures out that she loves this guy back at home by New Year's Eve b/c once she does she'll be happy. And the whole "only one's who know" thing refers to how the young man realizes that the whole ordeal b/w the woman & this guy back at home really has nothing to do with the young man and that he's kind of just a blip in the middle of them figuring out their relationship.
Breakdown:
"In a foreign place the saving grace was the feeling That it was a heart that he was stealing" This young man has gone away to a foreign country, but he had not been enjoying himself until he met a woman also away from home (who has a boyfriend, fiance, husband, or someone back at home).
"Oh, he was ready to impress and the fierce excitement" He's getting a thrill out of wooing her that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he's the one she's cheating with.
"The eyes are bright; he couldn't wait to get away I bet the Juliet was just the icing on the cake Make no mistake, no" This just explains how the young man had just really wanted to get away from home in the first place, he hadn't planned to have this affair. The name Juliet is used to emphasize that their fling is forbidden as Romeo and Juliet's was.
"And even if somehow you could have shown you the place you wanted" The woman originally went away from home, looking for something. Judging by the rest of the song, she probably is unsure of her relationship with her boyfriend/husband whoever back at home and she's trying to reevaluate who she is and see whether there's someone else out there for her. But she's found that she's not falling in love with the guy she's with on vacation now, even though he wishes she was because he's fallen in love with her.
"Well, I'm sure you could have made it that bit better on your own" She would've been better off without having met/had an affair with him
"And I bet she told a million people that she'd stay in touch Well, all the little promises - they don't mean much" The girl probably has been with many guys on this vacation (because she's restless at home) but each time realized she's still unhappy so made empty promises to each guy that she'd call them but of course she never would.
"When there's memories to be made And I hope you're holding hands by New Years Eve" Despite the young man being in love with the woman, he realizes that she really is in love with the guy back at home (even if she herself doesn't realize it) and hopes that she can figure it out by New Year's Eve.
"They made it far too easy to believe That true romance can't be achieved these days" These lines are so sad because they refer to both: The young man hoping that she goes back to this guy at home because it's what will make her happy in the end and they can ultimately have this "true romance" that's supposedly impossible But it also takes a stab at how he's now in love with this woman who he's destined never to achieve a "true romance" with.
"And even if somehow you could have shown you the place you wanted Well, I sure you could have made it that bit better on your own" He's thinking: "If I could've somehow made her fall in love with me..." then realizes no, they were never meant to be together.
"You are the only ones who know " I think this has to do with the woman and the guy she has back at home and how something is going on b/w them that the young man isn't a part of. He realizes he's just some guy she met one randomly on vacation that is just a blip in the woman figuring out her relationship with this other man.
thanks a lot for this comment. needed it a lot today :/ listening this song for two hours now
thanks a lot for this comment. needed it a lot today :/ listening this song for two hours now
@lainereg @lainereg Ding ding ding!!!!! I liked the other theories too but yeah.. you are dead on. His lyrics are poetic yet blunt and to the point and this is exactly what is happening. Thanks for laying it out for us to read. I definitely cry hearing this song that's exactly why. The music creates a perfect setting for the story and i can even hear in his voice, the respect he has for the reality and logic in the tragic ending to the dream fling. He knows he's just playing a seat filler and reveals his underlying acceptance through...
@lainereg @lainereg Ding ding ding!!!!! I liked the other theories too but yeah.. you are dead on. His lyrics are poetic yet blunt and to the point and this is exactly what is happening. Thanks for laying it out for us to read. I definitely cry hearing this song that's exactly why. The music creates a perfect setting for the story and i can even hear in his voice, the respect he has for the reality and logic in the tragic ending to the dream fling. He knows he's just playing a seat filler and reveals his underlying acceptance through his observant attention to the situation in entirety.