What Will We Do?

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark portrait of profound loss, where the absence of a central figure has extinguished all joy and purpose. Before this person left, life was filled with music, stories, love, and a hopeful future. Now, the narrator is left with a void, where the dominant sound is "sobbing in the dark" and the only certainty is the overwhelming question: "What will we do now that you've gone?" The contrast between the vibrant "here" and the desolate "now" is the immediate emotional landscape. The central tension arises from the complete dependence the narrator and others had on the departed individual for their sense of well-being and direction. The repeated questions, "Who will I turn to when my will to live is lost?" and "How will we ever carry on?" underscore a paralyzing despair. The lyrics suggest that this person was not just a loved one, but the very source of their motivation and ability to face life, making their departure an existential crisis. The most striking craft element is the stark juxtaposition of past and present through sensory details. The presence of "songs that were sung" and "stories that were told" is directly countered by the absence of melodies and the presence of "sobbing." Similarly, a "future, though we knew not what it was" is now a terrifying unknown, because "with you in it, it was enough." This deliberate erasure of positive experiences highlights the depth of the current desolation. This writing is effective because it grounds abstract grief in concrete losses of everyday life elements. The simple, direct language and the insistent repetition of the core questions create a powerful sense of helplessness and disorientation. The final plea, "Why did you ever have to leave?" coupled with the fading repetition of "How will we ever carry on?" leaves the listener with the raw, unresolved pain of utter abandonment.