As Love

Song Meaning

The narrator returns to a place, seeking to ignite something new after letting a past phase of their life decay. This past was defined by a vibrant, all-encompassing love, described as "all the fucking colors." Yet, this intensity was met with indifference from the beloved, who "didn't care about such things." This sets up a core tension: the narrator's passionate investment versus the other's detachment. The lyrics then flash back to the beginning of this relationship, a "Spring of my life" filled with shared youthful abandon and a world literally "bursting with hues." The narrator and their lover were both "crazy" and equally unconcerned with external matters, mirroring the earlier sentiment but now framed as a shared, idyllic moment. This contrasts sharply with the present, where the narrator is seeking a new beginning, implying a profound personal shift. The most striking element is the repeated question, "Do you care about such things?" posed in the present day, specifically in "Melbourne town." The narrator has "been long out the ground," suggesting a period of dormancy or recovery, while the former lover has "grown more handsome." This highlights a potential imbalance in their growth and current concerns, making the narrator's plea for acknowledgment of shared feelings feel desperate. Ultimately, the song's power lies in its stark portrayal of unrequited or faded intensity. The simple, almost chant-like repetition of "As love" and "Love" in the chorus and outro underscores the narrator's singular focus on this lost or unfulfilled connection. It’s the raw, almost childlike insistence on the importance of love, even when faced with evidence of its absence or indifference, that makes the lyrics resonate.