All We Know by The Chainsmokers Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Echoes of a Fading Love
Lyrics
Hang onto burning wires
We don’t care anymore
Are we fading lovers?
We keep wasting colors
Maybe we should let this go
We’re falling apart, still we hold together
We’ve passed the end, so we chase forever
‘Cause this is all we know
This feeling’s all we know
I’ll ride my bike up to the road
Down the streets right through the city
I’ll go everywhere you go
From Chicago to the coast
You tell me, “Hit this and let’s go
Blow the smoke right through the window”
‘Cause this is all we know
‘Cause this is all we know
‘Cause this is all we know
Never face each other
One bed, different covers
We don’t care anymore
Two hearts still beating
On with different rhythms
Maybe we should let this go
We’re falling apart, still we hold together
We’ve passed the end, so we chase forever
‘Cause this is all we know
This feeling’s all we know
I’ll ride my bike up to the road
Down the streets right through the city
I’ll go everywhere you go
From Chicago to the coast
You tell me, “Hit this and let’s go
Blow the smoke right through the window”
‘Cause this is all we know
‘Cause this is all we know
‘Cause this is all we know
In the autumn of 2016, The Chainsmokers released ‘All We Know,’ a track featuring the hauntingly serene vocals of Phoebe Ryan alongside the duo’s Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart. This melody that marries electronic beats with poignant lyricism has since reverberated through speakers and headphones, inviting listeners to peel back the layers of its ostensibly simple tale of love and loss.
Beneath the surface of its catchy hooks and pulsating rhythms, ‘All We Know’ carries the weight of existential reflections and the complexities of human relationships. By decoding its verses and chorus, we come to understand that this song isn’t just another chart-topper; it’s a canvas painted with the deep blues and faded grays of a love that’s slipping away.
A Metaphor for Melancholy: The Ignition of Love in an Inferno
The Chainsmokers are no strangers to crafting hits that cut deep, and ‘All We Know’ is no exception. The song opens with imagery of ‘fighting flames of fire’ and ‘hanging onto burning wires.’ It’s a stark metaphor for persisting with something dangerous or painful—in this context, a relationship that’s losing its vibrancy. This introduction of elemental fire sets the tone for a conversation about passion, risk, and the inevitable destruction that follows when we ‘don’t care anymore.’
The ‘fading lovers’ and ‘wasted colors’ further paint the picture of a connection that’s dimming, once vivid and now needing release. The analogies used by The Chainsmokers are intentional, invoking a sense that perhaps in the heat of love, we often find ourselves consumed by flames, leaving only ashes behind.
Chasing Forever in the Maze of the Now
Taking a step further into the labyrinth of ‘All We Know,’ the song reflects the paradox of a relationship that’s both ‘falling apart’ and ‘holding together.’ It’s a relentless pursuit of the ‘forever’ promised by modern romances, pursued even past the ‘end.’ Here we encounter the human condition at its most stubborn, wherein we grasp onto the known rather than plunging into the unknown abyss of separation.
The Chainsmokers capture a sentiment that many can resonate with—the unwillingness to release one’s grip on the familiar, even when it ceases to fulfill or inspire us. When the duo iterates ‘this is all we know,’ it is both an admission of limitation and a clarion call to break free from the cycle.
The Dance of Distance and Intimacy
‘Never face each other, one bed, different covers’ – these lines slice through the illusion of proximity, exposing the tangible disconnection between two hearts ‘still beating, on with different rhythms.’ The Chainsmokers aren’t singing just about physical proximity; they’re laying bare the emotional chasm that can emerge between lovers who have become strangers to each other’s inner worlds.
There’s a profound sadness to the acknowledgement that unity can be syntonic yet devoid of harmony. And while the lyrics suggest ‘maybe we should let this go,’ the song encapsulates the struggle to do just that—the inertia that keeps us tethered to the security of what we know, no matter how out of sync it has become.
The Unyielding Grip of Memory and Habit
As the narrative of ‘All We Know’ weaves through the city streets, from ‘Chicago to the coast,’ it becomes a journey through the geography of memory. By mentioning specific places, The Chainsmokers localize the love story within the shared spaces and experiences. It’s a reminder that history isn’t easily discarded; it’s etched into the urban landscapes and mile markers of the heart.
‘I’ll go everywhere you go,’ the lyrics promise, hinting at the comfort and compulsion of sticking to the familiar script. Yet, there’s an undertone of rebellion—’Hit this and let’s go, blow the smoke right through the window’ suggests a momentary, escapist urge to disrupt the mundanity, to create an intentional disarray within the confining structure of the ‘known.’
Uncovering the Anthem’s Hidden Relevance
On its face, ‘All We Know’ could be dismissed as another relationship anthem, but its true resonance lies in its broader implications. It’s an introspective odyssey that mirrors the human resistance to change and the fear of the uncertain. The song becomes an echo chamber where our own hesitations and the nagging whispers of ‘what if’ resound.
The Chainsmokers sew episodic thoughts together to tell a story that’s coherent, relatable, and steeped in the subtleties of modern-day connections. ‘All We Know’ isn’t just about the death throes of a romantic relationship; it’s an emblematic representation of any bond or situation where we linger despite the spiraling decay—because it’s ‘all we know.’
