I’m back with some more song lyrics! Let’s talk about some songs and figure out the meaning together. If you have any song lyrics you want me to look at, let me know in the comments, or if you have any other thoughts about the songs I pick, leave a comment! Basically, comment!
Before we begin, I am more than likely to incorrectly interpret the meanings of these lyrics, but this is all my own guess and understanding. This is like an English exam, I’m just analysing what I’ve been given. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to this.
Let’s get started.
Snow Patrol – Run
I’ve listened to this song a lot. I’ve heard it when I was younger, I’ve heard it when I was older. I’ve listened to the lyrics. I’ve sung the lyrics. I have no idea what this song is actually about. I mean, it’s about love, right? I think? Now that I’m older and more interested in music lyrics, let’s try and figure this out. I am going to give my own understanding of the lyrics first, then I will be Googling them to see if I’m correct.
The song starts with “I’ll sing it one last time for you.”
If we stick with the theme of all the songs I write about, it could be about romance. The song is almost conversational. It reads as two people talking back and forth, but one of the conversations seems far more “one-sided”. “Even if you cannot hear my voice” is a later line that makes me think it is a “one-sided” song I was talking about. It could be about one-sided love. It could be about death.
Future lines such as “To think I might not see those eyes” and “And we say our long goodbyes”, make me think it’s a song about someone passing. A song about someone leaving and having no way to return. This could be a spiral into depression. “All I want is to find an easier way, to get out of our little heads.” – Possibility of regret? Anxiety? Depression?
Honestly, this song is fantastic. I have no idea what it’s about, but I love this song so much. The song feels so cryptic, but that’s what I like about it. The lyrics have their intended meaning, but it’s so open to interpretation.
So, let’s Google the true meaning.
In 2000, Gary Lightbody suffered a terrible injury when he fell down a flight of concrete stairs whilst drunk, resulting in his head being split open (Amongst many other injuries). This event ended up leaving a psychological impact on him, as any near-death experience would. The song, although written during dark times, speaks of a bittersweet story of separation, loss, and last words. The lyrics are about hope rather than depression and worry.
(Also check out the Leona Lewis cover of this song. It’s not as good as the original, but a pretty great cover.)
NewJeans – Ditto
Where do you begin with a song that should be on almost every top 10 list? Before we talk about the lyrics, I want to give a special shout-out to the beat, harmonies, and overall presentation and feelings this song creates. A feeling of melancholy yet desire that “it could get better”. An expression of how things aren’t what you want, but an anthem of hope that it just might.
If you haven’t heard this song, go listen to it before you continue to read this post. Add it to your playlists as well.
The most obvious and clear understanding of this song comes from the line “say it Ditto”. The idea of one-sided love is that they are hoping the same could be said back. They aren’t asking a Pokémon to say something, they are asking for the same feelings to be returned. It’s a fairly simple song in that regard.
But I need to dig deeper, and to do that, I need to learn Korean or Google the Lyrics.
The lyrics are kind of what you’d expect. The English is similar to the Korean, but the beauty of the language helps it stand out more and hit even deeper with the feeling of longing.
To me, reading the lyrics makes me think the song is about someone frustrated. They want to scream their feelings and aren’t afraid to be blunt about them.
“Do you want somebody, like I want somebody.” If you ask me, that’s pretty blunt (Although I’m very blind to hints)
“Can’t wait till morning, so say it, ditto.” This could mean more than: “they can’t wait till morning” due to anxiety of not knowing the other person’s feelings. Not knowing could be losing them sleep, so the idea of morning never coming seems impossible. Or it could be frustration with the lack of clarity. The song is sung in a typical “cute k-pop” way, but that doesn’t mean this line isn’t about annoyance.
I know this song has a deep music video, but I’ve never seen it, so this is all based on my own understanding of the lyrics.
To me, it’s a song about unrequited love, and about how someone can’t move on from their love for a person they truly want, yet know they can’t have them back. Although they are trying everything to get this person, the constant repetition of the same sentences shows that it isn’t reciprocated. (And it’s also a great use of the word ditto, as the song repeats itself). The sadness could also come from the fact that it is someone fighting a losing battle. No matter how much they ask, their feelings aren’t being seen.
I want to return to the start of the song. In the first verse, the English translation says: “My feelings for you, like the memories we share, have grown so big.”
This line kinda contradicts my above interpretation, as it shows that there were once feelings between these two people. The memories they share could be their past love. But I don’t think that’s the case. I think it was a very close friendship that never sparked into love. It was someone who wanted it to be love, but that love never turned into anything. It was always going to be one-sided.
Could the line “Stay in the middle.” be about someone who doesn’t want to stay in the middle as friends, and wants to be on the same side as them in love? I’m not sure.
Honestly, I’ve written this post over a few days, going back and changing my interpretation of the song, that is why this post may be a bit of a mess. But let me know what YOU think, not what you’ve googled and read about what one of the members of NewJeans says. It’s no fun if you don’t think for yourself.
Thanks for reading. I’ve got a few more songs lined up for the next post in this series. But I’m also possibly thinking of doing this idea spoken instead of written. I feel like I could get this idea across better if I were speaking it rather than writing it, but for now, I’ll leave it there.
Thanks for reading!