“Asking to Break” by James Blake

The lyrics of James Blake’s “Asking to Break” are terse to the extent that they may be considered open to interpretation. Ultimately, it seems the thesis sentiment revolves around James observing that “true love lets you break and stays around”. That reads like another way of saying that under his estimation, true love is marked by patience. 

And it may be that with the rest of the song, who it is that’s “asking to break” is his partner. So with that ideology in mind, it reads as if Blake is understanding in terms of giving her more personal space for a while.

“True love lets you break
And stays around”

James Blake wrote this song with Dom Maker, and the two of them produced it alongside multi-faceted entertainer Jameela Jamil.

The release of this track was on 8 September 2023, along with the album it is featured on, James Blake’s “Playing Robots into Heaven”.

“Asking to Break” was made public with the backing of Polydor Records and Republic Records.