Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a raw picture of self-inflicted separation and lingering attachment. The narrator initially believed ending something would lead to healing, a hope quickly dashed by the stark reality: "But I didn't / Well of course I didn't." This sets a tone of self-awareness mixed with regret, acknowledging the futility of their initial plan.
The central conflict emerges from a destructive act that directly caused the absence of the person they miss. The line "Your hand came out my mouth / And I bit down" is a visceral, almost surreal image of self-sabotage, leading to the person being "not around." This act, born from an internal struggle, directly results in the narrator's current state of longing and the admission, "And I miss you."
The writing powerfully captures the paradox of needing space yet feeling lost without the other person. The narrator feels "displaced" and describes the other person as "the ground," highlighting a fundamental dependence that makes the separation agonizing. This dependence is further complicated by the narrator's internal struggle with self-perception when with the other person, suggesting a toxic dynamic where they "want to quell what I give as fuel" for their negative self-view.
The repeated refrain, "it's hard it's hard / Its hard it's so / Hard to be around you / But it's harder not to," crystallizes the emotional bind. This isn't just about missing someone; it's about the agonizing difficulty of navigating a relationship that is both damaging and essential. The final lines reveal the root of the narrator's initial belief in separation: they blamed the other person, a blame they now recognize as misplaced, adding another layer to their regret and the complexity of their feelings.