A lot of the lyrics lead me to believe it's about trying to get back into a relationship and coming to the realization that it will never work out. I had a similar situation which always stained the meaning of the song for me.
First of all, the whole song reminds me of an emotional breakdown. The verses are depressing, the tempo is slow, and the singer seems to be getting lost in thought. When the chorus breaks, the song explodes with sound and it almost mimics the part of the breakdown where you realize the pain of the situation and either scream or cry hysterically.
The lyrics hint at the singer being in defense from an angry or dissatisfied partner,
"Under your hard lens
Making too few ends
Meet a middle ground I know, it's defense"
And,
"Pointed fangs without scope"
However the part in the lyrics that leads me to believe that they came BACK to the relationship is,
"We once had a thing I know, vanished"
Yet, it appears that the relationship will always be in limbo, to me, because it was so painful and the brain often remembers the things that cause us the most pain.
"Even though I'll move on
Doesn't mean this goes strong
Can't believe it to be undone, finished"
Because our brain processes heartbreak the same way it processes physical brain, we use avoidance and denial to cope.
Hence the chorus,
"I don't wanna be, I don't wanna know the lies
Wouldn't ever be what it was alright
I'll choose to believe what's right
Even if if in the end I'm blind"
The singer would rather choose the reality in their head ("believe whats right") where the relationship worked out rather than deal with the heartbreak that it will never work. Grizzly Bear also uses the explosive sound to repeat the chorus over and over as if the speaker is trying to convince themselves that it's not true. That one day, they'll see the end to the nightmare and reunite with the person they love.
Sorry for the long response, I just feel very passionate about the song and it got me through a horrible time. Grizzly Bear is brilliant.
A lot of the lyrics lead me to believe it's about trying to get back into a relationship and coming to the realization that it will never work out. I had a similar situation which always stained the meaning of the song for me. First of all, the whole song reminds me of an emotional breakdown. The verses are depressing, the tempo is slow, and the singer seems to be getting lost in thought. When the chorus breaks, the song explodes with sound and it almost mimics the part of the breakdown where you realize the pain of the situation and either scream or cry hysterically. The lyrics hint at the singer being in defense from an angry or dissatisfied partner, "Under your hard lens Making too few ends Meet a middle ground I know, it's defense" And, "Pointed fangs without scope" However the part in the lyrics that leads me to believe that they came BACK to the relationship is, "We once had a thing I know, vanished" Yet, it appears that the relationship will always be in limbo, to me, because it was so painful and the brain often remembers the things that cause us the most pain. "Even though I'll move on Doesn't mean this goes strong Can't believe it to be undone, finished" Because our brain processes heartbreak the same way it processes physical brain, we use avoidance and denial to cope. Hence the chorus, "I don't wanna be, I don't wanna know the lies Wouldn't ever be what it was alright I'll choose to believe what's right Even if if in the end I'm blind" The singer would rather choose the reality in their head ("believe whats right") where the relationship worked out rather than deal with the heartbreak that it will never work. Grizzly Bear also uses the explosive sound to repeat the chorus over and over as if the speaker is trying to convince themselves that it's not true. That one day, they'll see the end to the nightmare and reunite with the person they love.
Sorry for the long response, I just feel very passionate about the song and it got me through a horrible time. Grizzly Bear is brilliant.