Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a picture of two people who have made promises to each other, acknowledging that while things haven't changed outwardly, their paths have diverged. There's a sense of acceptance that they are not together, framing this separation as natural and even containing a promise of eventual forgetting after memory fades. The narrator seems to be reflecting on shared conversations about their life's trajectory, which, despite its downward turns, is seen as inherently striving upwards. This upward striving is presented as a significant aspect of life they once discussed.
The core tension lies in the contrast between past promises and present realities, and between individual suffering and shared experience. The narrator admits to being alone, in pain, and perhaps sicker than ever, but frames this as a choice, even if an unconscious one. They then extend this to the other person, suggesting that if they are also alone, it lessens the sting of their own solitude and should offer mutual strength. This shared loneliness, paradoxically, becomes a source of connection.
A striking element is the narrator's focus on what they *did* discuss: separation, loneliness, and fear – the "certain things." This deliberate focus on the difficult, the tangible, and the inevitable suggests a pragmatic approach to their relationship and life's challenges. The lyrics propose that even from these "certain things," there's a foundation to build upon, leading to a hopeful, albeit qualified, vision of the future where they will "be young again" and the end will be "almost good" and "almost worth it."
This piece resonates because it grounds profound emotional states in concrete, almost mundane, shared experiences and conversations. The narrator's ability to find a sense of upward striving even in decline, and to derive strength from shared, acknowledged pain, offers a complex but ultimately affirming perspective. The careful qualification of hope – "almost good," "almost worth it" – feels earned and authentic, reflecting a mature understanding of life's inherent imperfections and the quiet resilience found in facing them together, even when apart.