☝️ Key Points
- The song is about loss, grief, and the memory of a loved one
- The lyrics express a feeling of emptiness and confusion that arises after the loss
- Lack of understanding and despair are addressed through the sudden disappearance of a loved one
- The chorus emphasizes that the loved one can never truly be known, but the memory of closeness and intimacy remains
- It shows how the singer remembers the person as she wants, and not necessarily as they really were
- The song is an emotional expression of loss and loving remembrance, and the need to keep going despite difficulties
Interpretation
The song 'Your Arms' by
Birdy is about loss, grief, and the memory of a loved one who is no longer with us. The lyrics express the feeling of emptiness and confusion that the loss of a loved one leaves behind, as in the lines 'Who could say what would follow / Big holes in the dark'.
The words 'I couldn't say where you'd gone to / But every night, I would ask' convey the lack of understanding and despair that come with the sudden disappearance of a loved one.
In the chorus 'I will never know you / Don't get to understand / No answers to questions / It's too late for that / But I was in your arms, I was in your arms / I was in your arms, your arms once' emphasizes the fact that the person the song is about can never truly be known, as they are no longer there. However, the memory of the closeness and intimacy that once existed remains.
The line 'I'll remember you my way / It's not perfect or fair / I paint you with colours / That weren't ever there' shows how the singer tries to remember the person the way she wants to remember them, and not necessarily as they truly were.
Overall, the song is an emotional expression of loss and grief, but also of loving remembrance and the need to move on, even when things are hard and memories fade, as in the lines 'Feels harder these days / After so long / 'Cause my memory fades / And it's all I've got of you now'.