Song Meaning
The lyrics grapple with the hazy recollection of past emotions and their perceived significance. The narrator admits a blank spot where teenage feelings once resided, noting that their intensity felt superficial in retrospect. While the cast of characters remains present in memory, the underlying motivations and reasons behind those feelings are lost, leaving a void of understanding.
This sense of confusion is amplified by a specific, potent memory: a "long awaited sickening kiss." This moment, seemingly pivotal, is now viewed through a lens of altered perspective. The narrator questions the feeling associated with this event, especially in light of how the present reality has "re-written history." The contrast between the "complicated beginning" and the current state of affairs fuels the central question of "Honestly?"
The most striking craft element is the repeated, almost pleading, interrogation of "the why's." This isn't just a simple forgetting; it's a deliberate questioning of the foundational understanding of past experiences. The phrase "re-written history" suggests a conscious or unconscious revision of past events, making the original "meanings" even more elusive and prompting the final, uncertain "Honestly?"