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 :)
@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'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 :)
@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 :)