This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I'm gonna pick up the pieces
And build a Lego house
When things go wrong we can knock it down
My three words have two meanings
There's one thing on my mind, it's all for you
And it's dark in a cold December
But I've got ya to keep me warm
And if you're broken I'll mend ya
And I keep you sheltered from the storm
That's raging on now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now, now
I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in
If things go right we can frame it
And put you on a wall
And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before
Now I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
Don't hold me down
I think my braces are breaking
And it's more than I can take
And it's dark in a cold December
But I've got ya to keep me warm
If you're broken I will mend ya
And I keep you sheltered from the storm
That's raging on now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I will love you better now
And build a Lego house
When things go wrong we can knock it down
My three words have two meanings
There's one thing on my mind, it's all for you
And it's dark in a cold December
But I've got ya to keep me warm
And if you're broken I'll mend ya
And I keep you sheltered from the storm
That's raging on now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now, now
I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in
If things go right we can frame it
And put you on a wall
And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before
Now I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
Don't hold me down
I think my braces are breaking
And it's more than I can take
And it's dark in a cold December
But I've got ya to keep me warm
If you're broken I will mend ya
And I keep you sheltered from the storm
That's raging on now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done
I think I love you better now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done
I will love you better now
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My interpretation of Lego House is that is about a guy who has stuffed up really badly in his relationship with his girlfriend, they've broken up and now he wants her back.
'I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a lego house, if things go wrong we can knock it down' (in my opinion this is the man's words trying to convince his ex that they should try again, what have they got to lose?)
'My three words have two meanings' (he means 'i love you' but i don't know what the two meanings are.)
'but there's one thing on my mind' (his ex)
'it's all for you' (all his love is for her)
'And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got ya to keep me warm (he depends on her)
and if you're broken I will mend ya and keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now' (he's saying that she can rely on him)
'I'm out of touch, I'm out of love' (he's out of touch with the girl he had an affair with and he's called it all off with her)
"I'll pick you up when you getting down' (He's saying he wants to take care of her again)
'and out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now' (after all the cheating, the girlfriend finding out and breaking up with him, he realises that he needs her and loves her more than anything, so he will be a better boyfriend than before.)
'I'm gonna paint you by numbers and colour you in' (He'll make her really happy)
'If things go right we can frame it, and put you on a wall' (If things go ok in the relationship he might propose)
And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before (Maybe he has cheated before)
and I will surrender up my heart and swap it for yours (He says now that he has changed and he would give anything to have her and her love back)
Don't hold me down I think my braces are breaking and it's more than I can take (I'm not really sure what is meant here but maybe it is his pleas as he so desperately wants to get back together with her. The waiting for her answer is torturing him. Or maybe it is the fact that she said no to getting back together?)
In the last chorus where he says "I will love you better now' he is saying that he knows that he will remain faithful to her and will love no one but her.
Anyways this is my interpretation of the amazing song Lego House by Ed Sheeran. I hope it makes sense.
Also in the part where he says<br /> <br /> 'I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind' (maybe he means that the other girl doesn't try to make contact with him anymore.)<br /> <br /> 'I'll do it all for you in time' (maybe he isn't really ready or he isn't sure he can make her the happiest she can be.)
I wouldn't disagree with your interpretation at all. It's brilliant. SUCH a great song. <br /> <br /> I would like to suggest that 'paint you by numbers' could also possibly mean that he would do as she wished; do whatever it took to make their relationship as perfect as she'd like it ; do anything to please her.<br /> <br /> Also with the 'out of touch; out of love' I don't think it's regarding another conquest.. i think it's still in reference to The Girl in the sense that he's either A- lost actual contact with her and is yearning for her to come back.. or B- that without her he feels out of sorts, thus out of touch... which then leaves him 'out of love' <br /> <br /> and finally, im not so sure to say he's propose with the 'put it on a wall' - but i do believe he's saying that they'd work at it; as one would with any piece of art; and they'll build it into something they appreciate, so figuratively something good enough to be framed.
Wow, I never thought about it that way! I totally agree with you especially the "put you on a wall" thing. Thanks!
That's an amazing interpretation; I love it. The first few lines has my mind twirling. I totally agree with your analysis, and the "what do we have to lose" part of it got me thinking about Legos. The thing about lego houses is that to make one, in the end, sure, you have one big house, but to get there you have to put together hundreds of little pieces, and even then, that makes the house much less permanent, in a way, much easier to tear down. Maybe that was intentional, in a sense that we can try to rebuild this house, and if we don't like it, it's not permanent anyway. Then my mind unraveled some more. What are all the pieces? Actions? Memories? Any thoughts? I'd love to brainstorm a bit.
I'm going to frame my observations in light of not only the lyrics but also the music video. While the video depecits an obssessed stalker/fan, I'm going to choose to look at it as someone unhappy with who they are and longing to be someone better. In the vein of a stalker then you've got someone trying to take over someone else's life as their own in an unhealthy kind of way but the core concept is a quite normal one. If you don't like who you are, change.
Judging from the video, the character played by Grint is either singing this song to Sheeran or he isn't. If he isn't, then he's singng it to himself - or some version of himself - possibly a version of himself he wants to be. I would propose that every time he used the word 'we' that it is meant to imply himself now and himself in the future, together, the pair of them. "I'll do it all for you in time" could easily be a promise to himself in the future. In time everything I do will cause you to exist in more than my desires, I will be the man I want to be and looking back I will be able to see all the things I've done have led me to where I am.
"It's so hard to say it but I've been here before and I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours" is just another way of saying that so far his efforts have led him back to his old ways again and again, but he's willing to trade all the things that he currently cares about (his heart) for the things he wants to be able to say he cares about in the future. You could wrap up a lot into the phrase 'cares about': people, addictions, habits. Sometimes the person you want to be doesn't have ties to the things you yourself currently have ties to.
"If you're broken I'll mend ya and keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now...I'll pick you up when you're getting down..." The use of 'we' and 'you' can get vague and tricky when talking about yourself in seperate time periods. And ths line introduces a third 'persona' of self. Kind of an outside controlling entity. In order to create person B from person A there must be a person C to orchestrate the change. 'If (you in the now) are broken I (the one in charge) will mend ya and keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now...I'll (the one in charge) pick you up when you're (in the now) getting down.' You could argue that the controlling persona is an abstraction in the now of the person he wants to be in the future.
I know right now I've lost some of you, but how different is this than telling yourself to buck up after something personally devestating happens. You might be wrecked. And you know you need to not be wrecked, but you feel wrecked, so you tell yourself to buck up and straighten up and you do. Persona A turns into Persona B through the controlling influence of Persona C.
"Out of touch, out of love, out of sight, out of mind" is how he will seem once he achieves his goals in the future. This is how I was - best not to think of it anymore, things are better now.
"I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in", Painting by numbers is an act of creation. Creation by the book, according to the plan. He's going to create this future self by his plan(s) and "If things go right we can frame it, and put you on a wall". If it works out right it'll be worthy for display, a finished product, he can cease his efforts of creating this person he wants to be because he will have succeeded and become that person.
And as far as the phrase '"Out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now", he's sayingthat even though he might not be there yet....and though he may have failed on numerous occassions to invoke the exact changes he desires in his own life, he's happier with the result now than with what he had before. Like a Lego House, anything that isn't satisfactoy will be broken and restructured the next time around.
As a closing thought, the three words with two meanings....I believe the words are obviously 'I love you'. And in light of my interpretation here I would say the two meanings are the love he has for himself as a being (ie he's not suicidal or anything, he loves himself too much to do anything stupid, etc) and he also loves himself too much to let himself stay the way he is. A love that sees the potential for something better. A self version of the old concept "I love you for who you are, but I love you too much to let you keep doing what you're doing (to yourself)."
@UnderTruth I really like your interpretation of the song and how it ties in with the music video so well. There's something special and incredibly meaningful about the music video that he has for this song, which very clearly shows that it's not about a situation as simple as a broken relationship. Your explanation has done both the song and the video justice :)
I am going to have to agree with UnderTruth. No one seems to be taking into account that there is nothing about love and a guy/girl relationship in the music video. The music video features Rupert Grint losing himself and not knowing who he really is. Yes the lyrics could lead a person to think that its a love song but it really isn't. Watching a music video is very beneficial to the understanding of a song.
@nrainey if you have to be spoon fed some message directed by someone who isn't in the band to make up your opinion about lyrics.
My interpretation of this one is moreso about him trying to mend a broken down relationship, which was also once a strong friendship.
Build a lego house - to me would mean it as something that can be knocked down, but still can be rebuilt again.
Three words have two meanings - as a friend, as a lover. She is still there for him, and he will be there for her if she needed it
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love - He doesn't know how to show his love for her anymore. He finds his ways of showing his affection for her to appear unexistent. But he wants to show her, and he thinks he will 'love her better' learning from his mistakes.
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind - She could have tried to distance herself from him, to try and get rid of those feelings, but he persists to carry on and promises he will make up for the mistakes.
Paint you by numbers - Trying to make her fully happy again and feel complete because of him.
Been here before - Self explanatory. He wants to give her his everything, in return for her trust to do the same.
Don't hold me down - He can't accept 'just' being friends with her. He needs more.
I'm gonna pick up the pieces, And build a Lego house When things go wrong we can knock it down
My three words have two meanings, There's one thing on my mind, it's all for you
And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got ya to keep me warm And if you're broken I'll mend ya And keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love I'll pick you up when you're getting down And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind I'll do it all for you in time And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now
I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in If things go right we can frame it, and put you on a wall
And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before And I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours
Don't hold me down, I think my braces are breaking and it's more than I can take
When I listen to this I relate to it as me first going to high school. At first I was very nervous and scared. I was always worried about what others thought about me. I felt kind of lonely at first because I never felt welcomed whenever I went places, but when I came to high school i finally felt welcomed. My interpretation of the verse "And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got ya to keep me warm And if you're broken I'll mend ya And keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now" was that even if I wasn't taken for who I was at school, I still had my family and they would always be there for me. Thankfully that never happened, but I always know that my family loves me for me.
True, so true. I feel the same to this day.
I'm sure somewhere in this song he says "I pity the fool"
i agree with all the comments above, however i dont think he cheated on her. i think the "three words have two meanings' could refer to his love for her and his love for his music career which has made him 'out of touch' with her and his life back home. he is also 'out of sight', meaning he is very rarely at home and able to spend time with her but he wants to. i also think that 'all these things that i have done' refers to him constantly choosing his career over her, but now he is going to make more of an effort and love her better. this also ties in with a lot of the other songs on the album which are about being seperated from home and the people he loves.
i see what your saying, but i think he cheated on her or did something bad and really upset her and now he's seen what hes done and still loves her and he wants her to forgive him and they can start over again. <br /> This happened to me and my boyfriend. He cheated on me and so i left him but we we still in love but i couldn't trust him. Then he went out with her and then he cheated on her (player, yeah, i know) then one day we were in class together (we both do science) and he feel in love with me again :P and he said to me, he realized how much he actually really loved me. I think he felt incomplete and went around and went out with soo many girls and i guess i was the one all a long, ahaha :D and now were back together, this song really shows it. <br /> He actually sang this song to me the other day, that's the reason i wanted to find out the meaning. <br /> Sorry for telling you my life story guys XS hhehehehe but i love this song :D
I like to use this tune as a response to how I've treated myself over the years... not very well, not very kindly. But now that I'm older and I'm learning to love myself, well... I can do it better now. Maybe Sheeran feels the same?
The song is about me. Ed, I know how you feel, bro. :')
My three words have two meanings. Exactly. :)
I love you :')