Heirloom

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a desperate, submerged scene, where the narrator clings to the idea of an "heirloom." This cherished object or person is lost, seemingly "high underwater," a place the narrator wishes they could inhabit to be closer. The initial plea, "dreaming to hold you," sets a tone of longing and loss, immediately contrasted with the physical struggle of "knees on the altar with nothing left." The central tension lies in the narrator's impossible desire to join the heirloom in its watery grave, a place that offers a strange sense of peace or reunion. They "resist" breathing air, yearning instead to "breathe underwater," a clear metaphor for succumbing to the overwhelming grief or loss. The refrain hammers this home: "I'm swallowing air, I'm barely breathing / I'm dying to have you here," highlighting the agonizing effort of staying alive when the desire is to be with what's gone. The imagery of light refracting underwater is particularly striking, suggesting a distorted, beautiful, yet ultimately unattainable reality. The narrator is "searching for treasures that don't exist," a poignant detail emphasizing the futility of their quest. The repeated phrase "If I could, I would stay" in the bridge underscores the depth of their wish to remain in this submerged state, closer to the lost heirloom than to life itself, as stated in the final chorus: "And I am now closer to you than death."