Rushing Back by Flume Lyrics Meaning – The Tsunami of Nostalgia and Regret
Lyrics
I never opened up, took it all in and now I’m running out of time
Sometimes I dream about going back, keeping all the things I left behind
But now I know you can’t change the past, way too young to know the reason why
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
I feel the gravity pulling me faster than it ever has before
When I was seventeen, nicotine loving had me rushing out the door
I try to hold it back, take a breath, looking at old pictures on the floor
But I hear everything telling me, you don’t have the time you gotta go
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
All the years, all the issues
All the eyes I have looked into
The stages and the love
All comes rushing back at once, ah
I always let the days slip away, I should have been making up my mind
I never opened up, took it all in, and now I’m running out of time
Sometimes I dream about going back, keeping all the things I left behind
But now I know you can’t change the past, way too young to know the reason why
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back (I always)
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back (I always)
And it all comes rushing back, rushing back
Australian electronic music producer Flume, in collaboration with vocalist Vera Blue, has gifted the world an audial canvas titled ‘Rushing Back’ which encapsulates the turbulent emotions tied with nostalgia and regret. The song, a fusion of Flume’s signature future bass with poignant lyricism, delves into the complexities of looking back on life’s irrevocable choices and the moments that escape us.
As with many of Flume’s tracks, there’s a deeper sonic and lyrical synergy that unfolds throughout ‘Rushing Back.’ It’s a track that resonates with anyone who has ever found themselves lost in the depths of their own past. Let’s unwrap the layers of this introspective masterpiece.
The Relentless Pull of the Past
Lyrics like ‘I always let the days slip away’ and ‘I should have been making up my mind’ reveal a protagonist grappling with procrastination and the realization that time is fleeting. Flume uses electronic crescendos to mimic the escalating panic one feels when they understand that decisions, or the lack thereof, shape the narrative of their lives.
The gravity in the line ‘I feel the gravity pulling me’ is not just a metaphor for the weight of regret. It’s also illustrative of the physical sensation that comes with a rush of memories—the stomach-dropping moment of confronting one’s youthful naivety and the decisions made in its wake.
Unveiling the Smokescreen of Youthful Folly
The song’s allusion to ‘nicotine loving’ symbolizes the impulsive, addictive behaviors and choices that define our youth. Flume’s pulsating beats give life to the reckless abandon of a seventeen-year-old, with the imminent danger lurking unnoticed in the euphoria of adolescent love and rebellion.
As we mature, these choices come ‘rushing back’—often with a clarity that is obscured in the moment. It’s the reckoning with these memories, now untouchable and immutable, that Flume captures with meticulous sonic precision.
Drowning in a Sea of Time’s Relentless Tide
Repeatedly, the song’s protagonist attempts to ‘hold it back, take a breath’ against the onslaught of recollections foisted upon them. This futile resistance against the rush of time highlights the universal struggle of coming to terms with the fact that life doesn’t pause for reflection or regret.
Flume accentuates this struggle through a dynamic interplay of subdued reverbs and syncopated drops, crafting an aural landscape where one can practically feel the push-and-pull of the past against the present.
A Tapestry of Memories: The Collective Crest of Life’s Wave
In a poignant summation, ‘All the years, all the issues, all the eyes I have looked into’ draws listeners into a reflection of not just individual experiences, but the collective cascade of life’s stages and loves. Each verse layers life’s fabric, a montage of shared human connections and the stages we all traverse.
There is a profundity in acknowledging that it’s not just singular snapshots but the holistic ‘rush’ of life’s entirety that overwhelms. Flume encapsulates this sentiment in a synth-laden chorus that surges like the ebb and flow of an emotional tide, leaving us breathless in its wake.
Echoes of Yearning in the Ambience: The Quest for What Was Lost
The song’s core message emanates from the chorus, ‘And it all comes rushing back,’ a sonic and lyrical echo that repeats as a mantra of yearning. It’s an invocation for the fleeting moments we wish we could grasp once again, even as they slip like sand through the fingers of the present.
‘Rushing Back’ is more than a song; it’s a vessel carrying the specters of lost loves, neglected aspirations, and unshed tears. Within this vessel, Flume and Vera Blue encapsulate the rhythms of regret and the aches of nostalgia that pulse through any who listen and find within the echoes of their own lives.
