The Things That Went Wrong

Song Meaning

These lyrics plunge the listener into a state of profound anxiety and regret, centered on a speaker caught between a longed-for presence and a difficult, self-imposed absence. The opening lines establish a conditional sense of safety—"If you were around I'm safe and sound I'm present"—immediately followed by the stark command, "But be gone and let her pass although it's not pleasant." This creates an immediate, unsettling emotional whiplash. The core tension here lies in that painful contrast: the speaker desires comfort but forces a separation, hinting at a necessary sacrifice. The ambiguous "her" adds a layer of mystery, making the command to "let her pass" feel weighty and perhaps tragic, whether "her" refers to a person, an opportunity, or an inevitable consequence. The speaker's direct admission, "I fear what is to come," anchors the abstract dread in a tangible, human emotion, leading them to sing "a sad song / About the things that went wrong." The most striking craft element is the sudden, jarring intrusion of the Spanish voicemail. This isn't just a language shift; it's a shift in perspective, a real-world echo of the speaker's internal turmoil. Leonor's worried voice, asking "Juno" to have Natalie call because she hasn't heard back, serves as a concrete manifestation of "the things that went wrong"—missed connections, unanswered messages, and the ripple effect of unresolved issues. It grounds the speaker's abstract fear in a relatable, urgent human concern. Ultimately, these lyrics hit hard because they juxtapose raw, internal conflict with an external, undeniable consequence of things going awry. The repetition of the English verse reinforces the speaker's cyclical emotional trap, while the voicemail acts as an almost intrusive reminder that their internal struggles have real-world implications. It's a potent blend of personal dread and the quiet, unsettling anxiety of a world where communication breaks down and worries linger.