Song Meaning
The lyrics of "Kissing Things" lay bare a profound, almost obsessive longing for an absent "you," where the narrator attempts to fill a void with various, increasingly desperate distractions. Each chorus reveals a different object being "kissed," but the true desire remains constant. It's a stark portrayal of unfulfilled yearning that feels both intimate and universal.
The central emotional tension stems from the narrator's inability to move past this specific person, despite attempts to self-medicate or seek new connections. The initial setting, described as a "shallow ocean" and a "very blue sky," hints at a superficial beauty, quickly giving way to the mundane reality of a "tedious bar." This contrast suggests an underlying dissatisfaction, even amidst grand gestures like the "moon and the silver stars" that were supposedly given.
The escalating imagery of the "kissing" objects is particularly effective in conveying this deepening obsession. Starting with a casual "cigarette," the narrator moves to "the bottle," signifying a more self-destructive escapism. The culmination, "kissing the mirror," suggests a stark, almost self-pitying confrontation with one's own reflection, highlighting the profound isolation of this unshakeable desire.
The emotional punch lands hard with the gut-wrenching revelation in the final verse: "The joke was on me / You're not even my friend." This line reframes all the previous longing and grand pronouncements, making the narrator's obsession feel even more isolating and perhaps unrequited. The repeated "wishing it was you" in the outro then becomes a desperate, almost mantra-like echo of this profound, unshakeable desire, leaving the listener with the weight of that unresolved yearning.
