Overall, this song is about a man and a woman whom fight frequently and are in a complicated relationship. Overall, they just want to avoid fighting and pretend to be friends, overlooking all their issues, but they keep getting "carried away". This is an analysis of the entire song, part by part:
"Since my heart is golden, I've got sense to hold in
Tempted just to make an ugly scene
No I'm not as proper; my money's in copper
Ripped down from the brownstones to the street"
Here, he starts off by saying "my heart is golden, so I have sense to hold in". This means he wants to be civil, so he's not going to fight and he will hold back. Then he pulls a 180, and states "no I'm not as proper, my money's in copper". This implies his heart isn't really made of gold, but copper, a far cheaper metal (pennies are made from copper), therefore he doesn't hold back on fights and he's not as civil.
"Listen, I'm your friend, don't quote me, but not a friend worth noting.
Yes, please don't ever note me as your friend
Who says we have cold hearts?
Acting out our old parts, let's preform my favorite little scene"
Here, he states he is indeed her friend, but she shouldn't ever tell anyone that. He questions who thinks they have cold hearts, or who thinks they're mean, then follows up by saying "let's preform my favorite little scene". He's saying nobody has to know we hate each other; their "old parts" are friends, and by preforming their old parts they are pretending to be friends. This will have more meaning later in the song.
"Oh, European, once again with feeling.
Higher education making sense?
Justify your thesis, certain that you need this.
Tell me what your point is in defense."
This is a sample of a fight between the man and woman. Obviously, she uses her higher education (college degree) in defense for being smarter than the man, and he simply states he's heard it all before and mocks her by saying she doesn't need it. There is no further meaning; the artist probably included it in the song so the listener could get more a feel for their situation. Also, there is an overall theme in the song of a play; "once again with feeling" is a line directors use. Earlier on he also references acting and preforming a their scene.
"Listen, I don't really know you, and I don't think I want to.
But I think I can fake it if you can
Let's agree there's no need, no more talk of money
Let's just keep pretending to be friends"
The first line of this section could be easily misinterpreted. Him stating "I don't really know you" implies she is a stranger, which she obviously is not considering how they've talked (and fought) before. This line refers to a situational phrase used when in fights; "you're acting like a person I don't even know". This is confirmed when he says "and I don't think I want to", where he basically says "I don't like this side of you". Then he says "I think I can fake it if you can", meaning he can overlook it if she can and they can just pretend to be friends. He tries to stop the fighting by saying there is no need to discuss money. Money is, indeed, a massive source of conflict in any society or relationship. Then comes the line that captures the entire theme of the song, "Let's just keep pretending to be friends."
"Wake up in the morning, wake up in the evening
Wake up when you want to.
'Cause no one's really watching
Or else you'd something to say about it.
But we all have problems
We're all having problems
And we all got something to say."
Here he mocks the woman for not having a man living with her. He says she can wake up whenever she wants because nobody is watching, and she lives alone. He knows this is true, because if she had someone living with her she would hold it against him. Then, he kind of takes it back by saying "but we all have problems". This section represents their mixed emotions for each other, as he starts off by bashing her, then turns it around and states that he too has problems, as does everybody else.
AND FINALLY... - - - - -
"I get carried away, carried away, from you
And I'm hoping and praying,
'Cause I'm sorry, sorry 'bout that
Sorry 'bout things that I've said
Always let it get to my head."
First off, "carried away" means "to make very emotional". An appropriate name for the song, this term represents the wavering emotions experienced from fighting with each other. This section of the song is repeated multiple times, indicating a cycle of fighting then apologizing, followed by more fighting. After apologizing, the phrase "always let it get to my head" is stated. The word "always" indicates that no matter what, they always fight, even after apologizing. They're hoping and praying that the fights will stop, or they can stop themselves from fighting, but for now they're stuck pretending to be friends.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
TL;DR:
The man and woman whom the song is about are trapped in a cycle of fighting and apologizing. They pretend to be friends and overlook all issues between them, but it ALWAYS just ends up with them fighting again.
Overall, this song is about a man and a woman whom fight frequently and are in a complicated relationship. Overall, they just want to avoid fighting and pretend to be friends, overlooking all their issues, but they keep getting "carried away". This is an analysis of the entire song, part by part:
"Since my heart is golden, I've got sense to hold in Tempted just to make an ugly scene No I'm not as proper; my money's in copper Ripped down from the brownstones to the street"
Here, he starts off by saying "my heart is golden, so I have sense to hold in". This means he wants to be civil, so he's not going to fight and he will hold back. Then he pulls a 180, and states "no I'm not as proper, my money's in copper". This implies his heart isn't really made of gold, but copper, a far cheaper metal (pennies are made from copper), therefore he doesn't hold back on fights and he's not as civil.
"Listen, I'm your friend, don't quote me, but not a friend worth noting. Yes, please don't ever note me as your friend Who says we have cold hearts? Acting out our old parts, let's preform my favorite little scene"
Here, he states he is indeed her friend, but she shouldn't ever tell anyone that. He questions who thinks they have cold hearts, or who thinks they're mean, then follows up by saying "let's preform my favorite little scene". He's saying nobody has to know we hate each other; their "old parts" are friends, and by preforming their old parts they are pretending to be friends. This will have more meaning later in the song.
"Oh, European, once again with feeling. Higher education making sense? Justify your thesis, certain that you need this. Tell me what your point is in defense."
This is a sample of a fight between the man and woman. Obviously, she uses her higher education (college degree) in defense for being smarter than the man, and he simply states he's heard it all before and mocks her by saying she doesn't need it. There is no further meaning; the artist probably included it in the song so the listener could get more a feel for their situation. Also, there is an overall theme in the song of a play; "once again with feeling" is a line directors use. Earlier on he also references acting and preforming a their scene.
"Listen, I don't really know you, and I don't think I want to. But I think I can fake it if you can Let's agree there's no need, no more talk of money Let's just keep pretending to be friends"
The first line of this section could be easily misinterpreted. Him stating "I don't really know you" implies she is a stranger, which she obviously is not considering how they've talked (and fought) before. This line refers to a situational phrase used when in fights; "you're acting like a person I don't even know". This is confirmed when he says "and I don't think I want to", where he basically says "I don't like this side of you". Then he says "I think I can fake it if you can", meaning he can overlook it if she can and they can just pretend to be friends. He tries to stop the fighting by saying there is no need to discuss money. Money is, indeed, a massive source of conflict in any society or relationship. Then comes the line that captures the entire theme of the song, "Let's just keep pretending to be friends."
"Wake up in the morning, wake up in the evening Wake up when you want to. 'Cause no one's really watching Or else you'd something to say about it. But we all have problems We're all having problems And we all got something to say."
Here he mocks the woman for not having a man living with her. He says she can wake up whenever she wants because nobody is watching, and she lives alone. He knows this is true, because if she had someone living with her she would hold it against him. Then, he kind of takes it back by saying "but we all have problems". This section represents their mixed emotions for each other, as he starts off by bashing her, then turns it around and states that he too has problems, as does everybody else.
"I get carried away, carried away, from you And I'm hoping and praying, 'Cause I'm sorry, sorry 'bout that Sorry 'bout things that I've said Always let it get to my head."
First off, "carried away" means "to make very emotional". An appropriate name for the song, this term represents the wavering emotions experienced from fighting with each other. This section of the song is repeated multiple times, indicating a cycle of fighting then apologizing, followed by more fighting. After apologizing, the phrase "always let it get to my head" is stated. The word "always" indicates that no matter what, they always fight, even after apologizing. They're hoping and praying that the fights will stop, or they can stop themselves from fighting, but for now they're stuck pretending to be friends.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
TL;DR: The man and woman whom the song is about are trapped in a cycle of fighting and apologizing. They pretend to be friends and overlook all issues between them, but it ALWAYS just ends up with them fighting again.