The Remainder
Navigating Love's Remainder: A Sleater-Kinney Tale
Lyrics
One and one and one is two
Starting with basic arithmetic, emphasizing simplicity.
All this and more you said was true
Acknowledging previous statements as truth.
And if you'd left me ground to stand on
Desiring a stable foundation in a relationship.
I'd run so far away from you
Choosing to distance oneself when stability is lacking.
What do you do with a remainder?
Posing a question about dealing with what remains in a situation.
You round it up or round it down
Discussing the rounding concept, possibly metaphorical.
And if you're scared by what you're left with
Suggesting discomfort with the remaining aspects of a situation.
Destroy the answer that you've found
Advocating for the elimination of an unsettling answer.
You were the one
Addressing someone significant in the speaker's life.
When the day had begun
Referring to the start of a significant time.
The sun was shining on us
Describing a positive moment with brightness and warmth.
Blinding me such
Feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment.
So that I couldn't see
Blinded to a flaw or danger in the situation.
There was a hole beneath me
Sensing a vulnerability or weakness.
And then you watched me fall
Experiencing a fall, potentially in the relationship.
With no expression at all
Noticing a lack of emotional response from the other person.
There is an absolute zero
Introducing the concept of absolute zero, a metaphor for emptiness.
But you won't find it on your own
Highlighting the difficulty of finding emptiness alone.
Only someone else can show you nothing
Emphasizing the need for external influence to understand nothingness.
And leave you with a gaping hole
Resulting in a profound emptiness or void.
You were the one
Repeating the theme of addressing a significant person.
When the day had begun
Recalling a positive start to a day.
The sun was shining on us
Describing a moment of brightness and warmth again.
Blinding me such
Experiencing a similar blinding effect, perhaps repeating a mistake.
So that I couldn't see
Repeating the inability to see a flaw or danger.
There was a hole beneath me
Reiterating a sense of vulnerability or weakness.
And then you watched me fall
Recalling a fall, possibly indicating a recurring pattern.
With no expression at all
Highlighting the lack of emotional response in a repeated scenario.
You were the one
Reiterating the significance of the person in a different context.
When the storm rolled in
Referring to a challenging time represented by a storm.
The sky was grey like your heart
Comparing the emotional state to a grey sky, devoid of color.
With no color at all
Emphasizing a lack of vibrancy or life in the emotional landscape.
I don't know you like this
Expressing surprise or disappointment in the person's unfamiliar behavior.
You're as reckless as wind
Characterizing the person as unpredictable and wild like the wind.
And I could not predict
Feeling unable to anticipate the outcome of the situation.
Just the way this would end
Reflecting on the unexpected conclusion of the relationship.
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