The Best Of You

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a deeply conflicted relationship, oscillating between intense affection and utter exasperation. The narrator clearly misses the presence of someone, describing them as "aggressive and ninety pounds," a detail that suggests a fragile, perhaps volatile, intensity. Yet, this longing is immediately undercut by a desire for them to leave, to retreat "where a thought's left alone," hinting at an exhausting dynamic where closeness becomes unbearable. The central tension lies in this duality: the narrator is "stirred again" by the other person's actions, but this stirring is accompanied by "mouthfuls of sour grapes." The lyrics suggest a pattern of being let down or hurt, leading to a cycle of wanting the person and then wanting them gone. This push-and-pull is amplified by the repeated refrain, "The best of you is wonderful / The rest of you, so terrible," establishing a stark, almost binary, view of the other person's character. The craft here is in the jarring juxtapositions and the narrator's own internal conflict. Phrases like "a war zone in Israel" or "a stain on a gorgeous dress" are used to describe the impact of the other person, elevating their disruptive presence to a level of global or aesthetic catastrophe. The narrator's own position is one of weary resignation, sitting "on this fence" and acknowledging, "I'll never stay in your way," even as they are drawn back in. This song hits hard because it captures the painful reality of loving someone whose flaws are as potent as their virtues. The repeated, almost chanted, refrain acts like a mantra for the narrator's fractured perception, acknowledging both the brilliance and the destructiveness of the other person. The final "Well, kind of, well" in the chorus reveals the narrator's own uncertainty, suggesting that even this harsh judgment is not absolute, making the emotional entanglement feel all too real.