"The more that we take
The paler we get
I can't remember what it is
We tried to forget"
In any good relationship, it's always give and take. In a bad relationship, generally one or both people involved only ever try to take. I think what is being said here is that constant fighting distances people and takes away what makes a good relationship beautiful. When your constantly fighting with someone, you often forget what argument the fight started with.
"The towel on the floor
So cold it can sting
In your eyes is a place
Worth remembering"
Sometimes in relationships, things get said that you can never be taken back or let go of. But other times its for little things, like for example: Leaving a wet towel on the floor. No matter how many times you try to just leave it behind, they will keep bringing up that wet towel because it hurt them so much (so cold it can sting) that they couldn't ever let it go, even though you didn't think much of it. The wet towel is, of course, a metaphor... maybe you forgot an anniversary, or had to cancel a date, etc.
"Do you wake up and taste this
And smash it apart
I've gone all this fucking way
To wind up back at the start"
I think what this is talking about is the general frustration of waking up next to someone who you love but feel distant from. Maybe you've been together for years, but no matter how hard you try to keep it together, the two of you always end up becoming distant again.
"Hey the closer we think we are
Well it only got us so far
Have you got anything left to show
No no I didn't think so
Hey the sooner we realize
We cover ourselves with lies
Well Underneath we're not so tough
Oh love is not enough"
The meat of what this song is getting at. You spend years being with someone you "love" constantly telling them you love them, doing things for them, being with them, only to wind up cold and distant with each other. "Love is not enough" is not a metaphor. It is saying that your "love" didn't outweigh your differences with each other. The sooner you realize you don't really love each other, the sooner you will realize that you've got nothing to show for this relationship and that simply saying I love you couldn't make you love each other.
"Well it hides in the dark
Like the weaker and vain
We didn't give it a mouth
So it cannot complain"
Lots of relationships are like this. The two of you agree that you would rather be upset with the truth rather than hide it from each other. Often the "weak and vain" cannot commit to this, because it takes a lot of courage to tell someone you love that they do something you really don't like. But sometimes you do, and the other person gets upset anyway, even though you agreed not to. It's stupid because you gave the relationship a mouth, and then got upset when it said something you didn't like. Often people use the term "walking on eggshells" as a metaphor for this behavior.
"We never really had a chance
We never really make it through
And to think I believed
I believed I could get better with you"
I look at this line as what goes through someones head when they finally realize holding on to the relationship is useless. Even though they picked up hints from the start of the relationship that it wasn't going to work, they kept going because they were "in love" with that person. When things got really bad, they kept telling themselves it was okay because they were in love. Unfortunately it was toxic from the start and it broke finally broke you down because love was not enough.
Wow, old song haha. Well here goes.
"The more that we take The paler we get I can't remember what it is We tried to forget"
In any good relationship, it's always give and take. In a bad relationship, generally one or both people involved only ever try to take. I think what is being said here is that constant fighting distances people and takes away what makes a good relationship beautiful. When your constantly fighting with someone, you often forget what argument the fight started with.
"The towel on the floor So cold it can sting In your eyes is a place Worth remembering"
Sometimes in relationships, things get said that you can never be taken back or let go of. But other times its for little things, like for example: Leaving a wet towel on the floor. No matter how many times you try to just leave it behind, they will keep bringing up that wet towel because it hurt them so much (so cold it can sting) that they couldn't ever let it go, even though you didn't think much of it. The wet towel is, of course, a metaphor... maybe you forgot an anniversary, or had to cancel a date, etc.
"Do you wake up and taste this And smash it apart I've gone all this fucking way To wind up back at the start"
I think what this is talking about is the general frustration of waking up next to someone who you love but feel distant from. Maybe you've been together for years, but no matter how hard you try to keep it together, the two of you always end up becoming distant again.
"Hey the closer we think we are Well it only got us so far Have you got anything left to show No no I didn't think so
Hey the sooner we realize We cover ourselves with lies Well Underneath we're not so tough Oh love is not enough"
The meat of what this song is getting at. You spend years being with someone you "love" constantly telling them you love them, doing things for them, being with them, only to wind up cold and distant with each other. "Love is not enough" is not a metaphor. It is saying that your "love" didn't outweigh your differences with each other. The sooner you realize you don't really love each other, the sooner you will realize that you've got nothing to show for this relationship and that simply saying I love you couldn't make you love each other.
"Well it hides in the dark Like the weaker and vain We didn't give it a mouth So it cannot complain"
Lots of relationships are like this. The two of you agree that you would rather be upset with the truth rather than hide it from each other. Often the "weak and vain" cannot commit to this, because it takes a lot of courage to tell someone you love that they do something you really don't like. But sometimes you do, and the other person gets upset anyway, even though you agreed not to. It's stupid because you gave the relationship a mouth, and then got upset when it said something you didn't like. Often people use the term "walking on eggshells" as a metaphor for this behavior.
"We never really had a chance We never really make it through And to think I believed I believed I could get better with you"
I look at this line as what goes through someones head when they finally realize holding on to the relationship is useless. Even though they picked up hints from the start of the relationship that it wasn't going to work, they kept going because they were "in love" with that person. When things got really bad, they kept telling themselves it was okay because they were in love. Unfortunately it was toxic from the start and it broke finally broke you down because love was not enough.