Tile By Tile by Alvvays Lyrics Meaning – Dissecting the Mosaic of Unrequited Love
Lyrics
Tile by tile, step by step
‘Til I reach a wall
No use in forging on
I try wholeheartedly
But still end up on your lawn
‘Cause I’m still waiting on my invitation
I shouldn’t have ever gone in the truck
The whole ride writing in your condensation
I shouldn’t have ever been calling it love
At night I take the calls from telemarketers
In hopes of hearing your drawl
I let them blather on
Without a thought I surrender my credit card
‘Cause I’m still combing through missed connections
I shouldn’t have ever followed you up
I’m out here, swimming in the wrong direction
I shouldn’t have ever been calling it love
(I’m still grieving)
Am I still giving off the wrong impression?
I shouldn’t have ever dialed you up
And I’m still lifting all your old expressions
I shouldn’t have ever been calling it love
I’m still waiting
I’m still waiting
I’m still waiting
I’m still waiting
Alvvays, the indie pop ensemble known for their ability to cloak heavy emotions in buoyant melodies, returns to weave another poignant narrative of love and loss in their latest offering ‘Tile By Tile’. Beneath the deceptively upbeat tune lies a labyrinth of complex emotions and wistful lyricism.
As we pare back the layers of this elegantly crafted track, each verse serves as a tile within the broader mosaic of longing. Lead singer Molly Rankin’s ethereal vocal delivery aligns with the band’s signature atmospheric sound, guiding listeners through the corridors of unreciprocated feelings and the quest for closure.
A Melodic Journey Through the Hallway of Heartache
The opening lines ‘At night I pace the floors / Tile by tile, step by step’ set the stage for a sleepless odyssey. The repetition mimics the incessant, circular thoughts one may entertain in the small hours, desperate to reconcile with an outcome that never came to be.
The juxtaposition of forward motion ’til I reach a wall’ against a backdrop of stagnation underscores the futility of the narrator’s efforts. It’s a poignant metaphor for coming to terms with the emotional barriers that keep us from reaching what we desire most.
Invitations Lost in the Mist of Memory
‘Cause I’m still waiting on my invitation’ Rankin sings, evoking the sense of being on the brink of inclusion yet perennially left out in the cold. The invitation, literal or metaphorical, becomes a symbol of the yearning for a sign or acknowledgement that may never arrive.
It’s a call into the void, filled with hope and the subconscious understanding that the call may remain unanswered. This line evokes a longing not just for love but for the mere recognition of one’s affection.
Misplaced Trust and the Fallacy of Love
The confession ‘I shouldn’t have ever been calling it love’ recurs throughout the song like a rueful mantra, suggesting a hindsight awareness of one’s own misplaced emotional investments.
This stark admission lays bare the human propensity to label and elevate connections, perhaps as a means to justify the energy and hope invested. Rankin conveys the disillusionment that comes with recognizing love was never present, to begin with.
The Eternal Echo of Unanswered Calls
Rankin’s distinctive voice plays out the scenario of answering calls from strangers, seeking a familiar voice within them. This bizarre pursuit emphasizes the depths of loneliness and the lengths one may go when ensnared by unrequited affection.
By surrendering to this loneliness and allowing herself to be deceived by false hopes, Rankin captures the essence of emotional vulnerability. It’s an act of preserving a connection, even if it’s built on the skeletons of shared memories.
Deciphering the Hidden Meaning: Swimming Against the Current of Closure
The enigmatic line ‘I’m out here, swimming in the wrong direction’ reveals much about the song’s underlying narrative. It speaks to the struggle of moving on, the relentless fight against currents of past emotion that pull us back to what’s familiar, however toxic it may be.
The imagery of swimming against a tide is a powerful metaphor for the difficulty of breaking away from the gravitational pull of an old romance, indicating that sometimes the struggle to move forward can feel like you’re sinking deeper into the past.
