Song Meaning

The lyrics for "There's That Smile" paint a vivid picture of a frustrated but ultimately futile attempt to storm out after an argument. The narrator slams the door, drives off, and even buys cigarettes out of spite, only to be immediately disarmed. It's a quick, almost comical reversal, where anger dissolves the moment a specific gesture appears. At its core, the song explores the tension between a desire to maintain anger and the irresistible pull of affection. The narrator's repeated declarations of being "gone" never last, as he admits, "I don't get too far." This creates a powerful sense of a cyclical relationship, where conflict is quickly overshadowed by an undeniable connection. The craft here is particularly effective in its use of repetition and ironic word choice. The recurring chorus, "And there's that smile / And there I go," perfectly encapsulates the narrator's immediate, almost involuntary surrender. The line "This making up will make a man wanna pick a fight" is a brilliant, self-aware observation, suggesting that the intensity of their reconciliation is directly tied to the passion of their disagreements. Ultimately, these lyrics hit hard because they capture the exasperated affection of a relationship where one person simply cannot stay mad. The specific details, like buying cigarettes "just because you hate 'em," ground the emotional experience, making the narrator's eventual surrender to the smile—which is "Taking my breath away"—feel both inevitable and deeply authentic.