“We’re In Love” by Boygenius

“You could absolutely break my heart

That’s how I know that we’re in love

I don’t need the symbol of a scar

So put down the knife

We’re not swapping blood”

The part of this verse that stands out to me is when they say the ability to break another person’s heart is proof of love. The simple fact that you have someone’s heart means the other person is putting themselves out there and becoming vulnerable with you. The verse continues to explain that you don’t need to prove your love by breaking them, just the knowledge alone that you had the chance to break them, and decided not to, is proof enough of your love. 

“Isn’t it enough

That we stripped down to our skin?

Cold and porcelain

Like bathers in a painting

And I told you of your past lives

Every man you’ve ever been

It wasn’t flattering

But you listened like it mattered”

This verse feels more like a conversation between the two people, saying that one didn’t hide anything from the other, and in response, they said they cared and still loved them despite the other’s unflattering past. The first half of the verse shows how vulnerable you make yourself when you trust someone; they use nudity and fragile ceramics to show the feeling of exposing yourself emotionally to another person. But, in the best relationships, you do your best to communicate, especially when things are tough or ugly. 

“I feel crazy in ways I never say

Will you still love me if it turns out I’m insane?

I know what you’ll say

But it helps to hear you say it, anyway”

With this vulnerability that comes with love, you hope that your partner will love you with all your faults. But sometimes it’s just too hard. Even when explicitly said, there might be doubt that your partner will love you for you, but you can still hope.

“Some October, in the future

I’ll run out of trash TV

And I’ll be feeling lonely

So I’ll walk to karaoke

Sing the song you wrote about me

Never once checking the words

I hope that no one sings along

I hope that I am not a regular”

This verse explores the feelings that are left behind when a great love passes. Even when your partner leaves you, or you leave your partner, the things you did and the memories you had together won’t leave so soon. The feelings will probably linger for a while. You might feel guilt or shame for holding onto these memories, but these are all parts of grieving. And grief is not a linear path; one day you will be isolated, distracting yourself, while the next you could be singing love songs to grieve with. 

“Damn, that makes me sad

It doesn’t have to be like that

If you rewrite your life, may I still play a part?”

This verse represents the hope that is left after you lose someone. The hope that even if the person you love leaves, you can still be a part of their life one way or another.  The change in tone when they sing this part shows how this is a realization being made or a thought that was subconscious and suddenly becoming clearer. 

“In the next one, will you find me?

I’ll be the boy with the pink carnation pinned to my lapel

Who looks like hell and asks for help

And if you do, I’ll know it’s you”

Once again the song brings up the hope surrounding love. In this verse, it is the hope that love will be so strong that it will surpass death itself. This is being proposed as a question, almost asking if they can trust that they share this love that can go beyond death.

“I can’t imagine you without

The same smile in your eyes

There is something about you

That I will always recognize

And if you don’t remember

I will try to remind you

Of the hummingbirds

You know the ones (I know the ones)”

This whole verse is about missing the person you loved, after seeing how much they changed, for better or worse. But still, you might hold onto the small chance of rekindling that love you once had. That longing for not just the person, but also the feeling, can make you start to reminisce on the good memories you had, as well as the ones you want to have in the future.

“And the baby scorpion

And the winter lunar halo

And the walk we took in the redwoods

I could go on and on and on and I will”

This section is a representation of the little moments and inside jokes that make up a relationship. In relation to the song, this is their final effort to fight for their love. They speaker is trying to remind their partner of the good memories that they made together and make them think of the better life they led. We see these specific memories being brought back, in addition to the faith that they have in the relationship.

“Go on and on and on until

It all comes back”

This last verse can be seen as an act of devotion by saying that no matter how long it takes to revive a relationship, it will be worth it. It is just proof that they will do whatever it takes because they have faith that this love is something that they need to fight for.

General Information

This song comes from Boygenius’ only album “The Record” which received three Grammys. Within the song lies strong emotions and beautifully written lyrics by all three members of Boygenius. The song perfectly captures the feelings of heartbreak and desperation that come with love.