Song Meaning

The lyrics to "What'll We Do" paint a stark picture of simultaneous economic and emotional collapse. The speaker grapples with a financial downturn while also sensing a deep personal disconnect. Repeated pleas to "Gwyn" and "Jen" underscore a pervasive anxiety. It's a raw snapshot of a world falling apart, both externally and intimately. The core tension here lies in the speaker's relentless conflation of external financial disaster with internal relationship decay. Phrases like "Economy is down / I think it's your heart" directly link the market crash to a partner's emotional withdrawal. This isn't just about losing money; it's about the speaker feeling unwanted, projecting that personal hurt onto the broader societal chaos. The repeated question, "What will we do?", becomes less about practical survival and more about the survival of a connection. A particularly striking craft element is the speaker's insistent, almost desperate, intuition. The line "when I touch your arm, I can tell" appears multiple times, serving as a visceral anchor for the speaker's certainty about the partner's emotional distance. This physical touch, usually a sign of intimacy, here becomes a conduit for sensing rejection. It contrasts sharply with the forced optimism of "Honey pie, don't 'cha cry, we're still together," revealing the speaker's underlying despair. These lyrics resonate because they capture the overwhelming feeling of a life unraveling on multiple fronts. The blend of abstract economic terms ("Stocks are in the Dow," "Market crash") with deeply personal consequences ("you don't want me around," "You'll have to sell your car") makes the crisis feel immediate and inescapable. The speaker's shift from addressing "Gwyn" to "Jen" might suggest a generalized lament, or perhaps a series of similar, failing relationships, amplifying the sense of pervasive misfortune. Ultimately, the raw vulnerability of "What were we thinking?" leaves the listener with a profound sense of regret and helplessness.