Maybe We Should

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship teetering on the brink, where one person desperately pleads for a return to a past state of affection. The repeated phrase "Maybe we should make believe" sets a tone of manufactured reality, a desperate attempt to conjure feelings that may no longer exist. It's a fragile proposal, built on the shaky foundation of pretense, hoping to rewind time to when the connection felt secure and mutual. The narrator is willing to construct an entire alternate universe if it means holding onto what's slipping away. The central tension lies in the narrator's stark contrast between their own unwavering love and the perceived need for the other person to feign affection. While the narrator claims "I don't have to make believe / To know I love you," they acknowledge the other person might need "time / To make believe you care." This creates a poignant imbalance: one heart is fully invested, while the other seems to require a performance. The plea to "just pretend" and "make a brand new start" highlights a willingness to ignore past hurts, even suggesting they can "mend your broken heart," if only the other person will participate in this elaborate charade. The most striking craft element is the relentless repetition of "Maybe we should." This isn't just a stylistic choice; it underscores the speaker's uncertainty and the conditional nature of their proposed solution. Each "maybe" is a hesitant step into a fantasy, a question posed to a silent partner about the possibility of salvaging the relationship through sheer willpower and deception. The structure reinforces this, with verses proposing different scenarios of pretense, all leading back to the chorus's core dilemma: the narrator's genuine love versus the other's potential need to fake it.