Lyric discussion by EiliaYazdanian 

Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I interpret this song a little differently than most (I would think). It's about a man that really tried to love a woman - who loved him - but he just didn't feel that "spark"/connection that he was holding out for.

In the first two verses, he is apologizing to the those closest to him in his life - who worry about him and are trying to "ground" him. In the first, his mother. He tells her everything is fine, but in reality it's not. And filled with these struggling emotions, he begins to let his mind wander. Whether he literally goes to Amsterdam is unknown - however one could interrupt that he is referring to drug use (a concept often associated with Amsterdam).

In the second verse, his brother confronts him. It's almost inferred that either 1) his brother has been through the same situation; or 2) his brother is troubled by the fact that he can't help the narrator; or 3) it dawns upon his brother, that he is in the same situation. I believe it is the third; which leads to the third verse.

He's telling his brother: that a time will come, when he's loved by someone, who loves him equally - and that they both make each other happy.

In the fourth verse, he finally addresses the reason behind all this depression and madness: his lover. He addresses her as "lover", so we can infer that she does love him, and this is not a situation where he loves a woman that can't reciprocate. I interpret the beautiful poetry in these lines to reflect the notion that he's always felt distant to her. He says that he's tried, but instantly says that he also lies.

"Kinda thought I was a mystery and then I thought I wasn't meant to be" to me means, "I thought I was too complicated for someone, and then I thought that maybe I was never meant to fall in love." His "lovers" response to this, was to say "Congratulations, you were all alone" I infer this line to mean that her reply wasn't what he sought. She was too logical to love, she told him that the only reason he felt that way, was because he was alone before. "Congratulations" is almost said in a sarcastic tone. What he wanted, was for her to show him that he was wrong, to make him happy - but she couldn't.

"Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me... I've tried Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me... I've tried"

He's telling her: "I'm sorry, but the time for you to love someone, that will make you happy, will come - but it's not me. It's a hard thing to do - wait for love - and I know, because I've been trying this whole time."

"But the rain won't fall for the both of us The sun won't shine on the both of us Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way"

He's attempting to rid her mind of any false hope. He rather find a true sense of happiness and love, than pretend that there is such between them.

"Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me... I've tried But I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I keep coming up short"

To me, these last lines aren't to his lover. But to himself. He's tried waiting for love - more than once - and he's waiting to feel that sense of "being in love"/that magical feeling that's comforting, weird, warm and cold at the same time. He's tried of waiting, and mentally it's begun to take a toll on him. His "inner walls"/his mind, is getting to a dangerous point of no return - where it will finally collapse on him.

It could also mean that he hasn't ended the relationship with his "lover" yet. And that he's still trying to give her a chance, but he doesn't know if he can do it for much longer.

That's my uneducated two sense.

Song Meaning

Very meaningful interpretation. :)

@EiliaYazdanian Thank you for this interpretation. I've been listening to this song for a while but I never actually listened to the lyrics before (not a native speaker). Reading your comment I felt extremely sad because it describes exactly the way I feel about my girlfriend these days. Weird I looked it up at this precise moment.