Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a picture of someone grappling with the aftermath of a relationship that pushed boundaries, possibly to destructive extremes. The opening lines reveal a year-long struggle to even look at past photos, suggesting a profound emotional impact and a difficult period of processing. The narrator acknowledges a haze of memory, marked by evidence of heavy drinking – "Since when did I drink pints?" – hinting at a shared experience that blurred the lines of control or awareness.
The central tension lies in the narrator's attempt to understand the limits of a relationship, specifically questioning "How low does love go?". This question is posed against a backdrop of intense experiences, described as reaching "the deepest depths" and "the very final breath," alongside the "highest height." The phrase "took as much as it was possible to take" implies a shared pursuit of extreme sensation or experience, which ultimately led to a point of no return for one person.
The craft here is in the stark contrast and escalating intensity. The initial difficulty in viewing photos gives way to descriptions of extreme highs and lows, culminating in the repeated, almost desperate plea, "How low does love go?". The repetition of "the very deepest depths" and then the stark observation that someone "went a little further" emphasizes a descent that was not just shared but exceeded, leaving the narrator to ponder the ultimate cost of such intensity.
This song resonates because it captures the disorienting feeling after a relationship implodes, leaving behind fragmented memories and an unanswerable question about the nature of love and its potential for self-destruction. The narrator is left with the stark realization that some experiences, no matter how intense, lead to an irreversible end, forcing a confrontation with the profound consequences of pushing limits.