Slow It Down

This song is so powerful. Aptly named, it's the slowest song on the album and I hope it doesn't go overlooked because it is certainly one of the best.

The first verse is about having a hard time letting his girl go despite the fact that she may have done something horrible to him in some way. He wants to be rid of her, the memory of her. He wants to wash his hands of her and be free. But it's just not that easy; the walls are closing in on him. But the curtains are closing and the show is over for good.

The second verse is describing two different kinds of love and the struggle faced when two people want two different things. Some love was made for the lights, a grand romance that everyone should see and admire, and I think that's what his girl wants. But some love kisses your cheek goodnight, it's not interested in being in the spotlight. He wants to be private, his girl in his arms, completely happy with each other just lying in bed together. He's telling his girl to lift up her red high heel, to lock up her doors with steel. If she wants to live her life in the spotlights, getting all the attention, going out to clubs and bars, then do it.

The third verse is terribly sad. This girl was everything to him. She was his life. Now that she's gone, he feel like he's not living life any more. He's just sitting at home, blinds drawn, listening to the sounds of the world, not being a part of it. And he's so frustrated with it that he smashed in his car window. Maybe he was even so upset that he ended up driving drunk and crashing. But he never touched the stereo (I'm not quite sure what this means -- maybe they had a stereo that meant something to them, and he makes sure she knows he smashed his car window before smashing their stereo).

The fourth verse is talking about how he thinks she's going to live without him. 'Act like you've been here before; Smile less and dress up some more.' He thinks that she's going to continue living as if she hadn't lost the best love of her life, because he certainly did. She's just going to keep dressing up in her high heels and scarves, going out and getting drunk, pretending to smile and have fun, but really is going to smile less and is trying to distract herself from the memory. But he warns her, if this is what she's going to do, tie that scarf up real tight and protect yourself. These boys are out for blood tonight. Wow.

At this point I think the chorus makes a little more sense. He's telling her to slow it down and come back to bed. He wants her to stop all of this nonsense because to him, their love is the most important thing. He seems to be confused and frustrated as to why she wants anything other than their love. He wishes that she could want what he wants, just being happy with each other, lying in bed, resting their arms and legs, without all of the lights, high heels, and boys who are only interested in having sex with her. Insecurity might also be part of it. It seems like he believes this girl is extremely attractive, and that other boys do as well and only seek to use the girl he loves.

The last parts of this song take a different turn and are absolutely phenomenal. In the fifth verse, he praises his girl. She stands tall with confidence (again, she must be attractive). She's got the beauty, and the brains to go with it (she'll make a fool of you all). He then goes on to say, don't bother asking her for cigarettes, she ain't got nothing left for you. I think this girl used to be a smoker, her only flaw in his eyes, and he was the one that made her quit.

The sixth verse is my personal favourite. It's simple but so real and powerful. He first says that once they broke up, neither of them looked back at all. That wasn't what they were good at. To me, that line means that they never dwelled on the past. Maybe their pasts before they met each other, or maybe past fights that they've had. Either way, they had an amazing relationship where they knew each other well and never let anything ruin that, especially something as insignificant as the past. Unfortunately though, with the most powerful line in the song, he says 'And when it came to love; We were not good enough.' For reasons not revealed in this song, they just couldn't make it work. They really loved each other but sometimes that just isn't enough. As much as he loved her, as much as he thought of her, he understands that the two of them weren't good enough to keep their love going.

One last time, he tells to slow it down. Live her live as she wants, but please just slow it down. He doesn't want anything to happen to her while she lives her craze-filled life. At the same time, don't frown when you think of me, because I know it'll make you sad sometimes. That feeling is the feeling of lost love. You may not know it now, but you will. But don't frown, because there is a way to fix it. Only love can dig you out of this.