All The Time by Zara Larsson Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Intricacies of Heartache and Longing
Lyrics
From the breaking of the day to the middle of night
From the breaking of the day to the middle of night
From the breaking of the day to the middle of night
Summertime and I’m caught in the feeling
Getting high and I’m up on the ceiling
I don’t know what you’re doing in New York
All I know is you ain’t on my bedroom floor
I’m seeing you undressed in my room
But it’s just a memory, a fantasy (Fantasy)
Are you in your house? Are you going out?
Are you going crazy like me?
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
I try to forget about you, baby
And I die when I think of you with someone else and
I don’t know why, I don’t know why you’re dancing in my mind
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
All the time
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
All the time
Everyone’s been wearing your perfume
Everything is reminding me of you
I don’t know what I’m doing in New York
But all I know is you ain’t walking through the door
I’m seeing you undressed in my room
But it’s just a memory, a fantasy (Fantasy)
Are you in your house? Are you going out?
Are you going crazy like me?
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
I try to forget about you, baby
And I die when I think of you with someone else and
I don’t know why, I don’t know why you’re dancing in my mind
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
I try to forget about you, baby
And I die when I think of you with someone else and
I don’t know why, I don’t know why you’re dancing in my mind
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night (Yeah)
And I wonder if you think about me, too
Where we used to go, what we used to do
And I wonder if you’re crying out inside, oh yeah
(From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night)
(From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night)
(From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night)
I try to forget about you, baby (I try)
And I die when I think of you with someone else and
I don’t know why (I don’t know why)
I don’t know why you’re dancing in my mind (Yeah)
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
I try to forget about you, baby (Baby, baby)
And I die when I think of you with someone else and
I don’t know why, I don’t know why you’re dancing in my mind
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
All the time
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
All the time
From the breaking of the day to the middle of the night
In her song ‘All The Time’, Zara Larsson encapsulates the universal ache of yearning for a lost love. The lyrics reverberate with the raw emotion of someone trapped in the remnants of a past relationship, navigating the complex process of moving forward. It’s a resonant narrative that fuses the exuberance of pop with the depth of soul-searching introspection.
This track isn’t simply a song; it’s a confessional outpouring of memories and unfulfilled desires that pulse through the night. Through the lens of ‘All The Time’, we uncover the layers of Larsson’s intense emotional landscape, as she confronts the ghosts of her romantic history and the pangs of unrequited affection.
The Labyrinth of Lost Love: Navigating Desire and Despair
‘All The Time’ acts as a musical map through the winding paths of lost love. The repetition of the phrase ‘From the breaking of the day to the middle of night’ becomes a motif for the omnipresence of the narrator’s longing. Larsson perfectly captures the essence of an emotion that refuses to adhere to the constraints of time, haunting every moment with the specter of what once was.
The lyrics illustrate the paradox of trying to move on while being perpetually anchored to the past. There’s an inherent struggle depicted within the song’s narrative—a fight to reclaim one’s heart from the grips of memories and to cease the mind’s play of rehearsing phantom encounters with the departed beloved.
A Dance with Memories: The Echoes of Presence in Absence
One of the most potent aspects of the song is how Larsson conveys the presence in absence. She sings of seeing her lover ‘undressed in my room’, but then twists the knife with ‘But it’s just a memory, a fantasy’. It’s a cruel dance with memories that refuse to fade, with each step reminding her of the void left behind by the subject of her affections.
This dichotomy creates a soundscape where listeners can feel the gravity of yearning—the sensory experience of remembering touches, scents, and shared spaces that no longer hold the warmth of the person in question. This gives voice to a deep-rooted emotional experience that many can relate to.
Perfumed Ghosts and New York Shadows: The Song’s Hidden Meaning
Diving deeper into the hidden strata of ‘All The Time’, one can’t help but notice the symbolic use of scent — ‘Everyone’s been wearing your perfume’. This single line suggests a ubiquitous reminder of the past, enveloping the narrator in a cloud of nostalgia that seems to pervade the bustling streets of New York.
New York, often considered a place for new beginnings, paradoxically becomes the backdrop where the past is the most present for Larsson’s narrator. Within the song’s subtext, the city is a landscape of loneliness and lost connections, mapping the internal turmoil onto the physical geography.
The Torment of ‘What Ifs’: The Chorus That Haunts
Larsson’s chorus punches with the existential torment of ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’. The ear-worm quality of ‘I try to forget about you, baby, and I die when I think of you with someone else’ thrusts the listener into a whirlpool of emotions. It’s this raw display of vulnerability that marks the chorus as both hauntingly beautiful and achingly sad.
This recurring confession captures the essence of not only the pain of trying to forget, but also the self-inflicted torture of imagining the former lover with someone else—a thought that cuts through the narrator’s peace ‘all the time’.
Memorable Lines: The Words that Weave the Web of yearning
‘I don’t know why you’re dancing in my mind’ — this line encapsulates the involuntary nature of memory and longing. Larsson doesn’t claim to understand the intricacies of her feelings but knows their impact is as undying as it is inexplicable. The phrase ‘dancing in my mind’ suggests a liveliness to her thoughts, a spirited recollection that keeps the past from being still.
Moreover, when she wonders ‘And I wonder if you think about me, too’, it adds a layer of relatable, human curiosity to the narrative — the secret hope that one’s absence is as keenly felt by the other. It’s this blend of helplessness and hope, of unyielding desire and the search for emotional release, that leaves an indelible mark on the listener’s heart.
