This Isn't Everything You Are

If that second verse, or at least the line “And you wish you'd never met” was removed, I swear this would be the perfect song to portray an egotistical person who has an estranged, detached relationship with their ailing father, possibly from a young age, and finally learning that he has died, and starts to crumble. This song is intended to bring the person up, and not give up:

“You can’t find the phone so you can call it off But it might be for the best You can’t walk away, anyway Cause you’ve nowhere else to go”

Very direct, the person cannot find a phone so they can’t call the funeral off. But it’s for the best that they go through with the funeral because there’s nowhere to run away to. The last line “Cause you’ve nowhere else to go” may also suggest that the person may feel like they don’t have anyone to share their feelings with after this has happened (because no one knows he knows his father).

“Is he worth all this, is it a simple yes Cause if you have to think, it’s fucked Feels like you’ve loved him more than he loved you And you wish you’d never met"

Is the person caring for his father worth it, because it had always felt like the person loved the father more than the father loved the person. Then came the line that vetoes my whole interpretation.

“You’ve been up all night, and the night before And you’ve lost count of the drinks and time And your friends keep calling, worried sick And there’s strangers everywhere”

The person has been having sleepless nights, and has been drinking endlessly to get themselves through it. The line "And your friends keep calling, worried sick" suggests the person's friends do not know that the person's father has died, or maybe was never aware that the person had a father or knew his father. And when the person disappears off the chart and returns to his hometown, his friends keep calling to ask him where he is. The line “And there’s strangers everywhere” suggests also that the person has never been involved with their father’s life, so when all calls probably from the father’s friends and relatives come, wanting to get confirmation or send condolences, they are unsure who they are speaking to. Also, the line may also suggest that this is a foreign feeling, and they have never had to deal with the death of a closed one before, so the “strangers” would refer to the undertaker, the funeral director, and so on and forth.

“And in one little moment, it all implodes This isn’t everything you are” Breathe deeply in the silence, no sudden moves This isn’t everything you are”

After bottling up their emotions for so long, the person finally breaks down. “This isn’t everything you are” is the singer trying to tell the person that they are stronger than this, and they must not lose it. It also suggests that since the person has never had a close relationship with the father, mourning him was something that he never thought he would ever do.

“Just take the hand that’s offered and hold on tight This isn’t everything you are There’s joy not far from here right, I know there is This isn’t everything you are”

This is telling the person to accept emotional support from whoever it is that’s offering, and “hold on tight”, because eventually, they will come to terms with it, and the sun and happiness will return.

“When you took the call, how could you know That he’d slipped away last night And you wish you’d went home days ago To say goodbye or just hello”

This verse strengthens my interpretation. “The call” refers to the call from the police or the hospital telling the person that the father has died the night before. And the next verse explains how the person feels they should’ve gone home to visit the father the days before, to say a final goodbye or just a simple hello.