Skating
Swim Rest Lyrics

The lyrics of Swim Rest's song "Skating" delve into themes of loneliness, regret, and the desire for control. The opening lines, "On my mind, sit out in the car and cry, waste my time, don't you ever wonder why we're not fine," communicate a sense of frustration and sadness. The singer is experiencing feelings of hopelessness and a lack of control, as evidenced by the line "panicked rhyme, static on the radio." The repetition of the phrase "don't you ever wonder why" is a rhetorical question that underlines the helplessness of their situation.

The next verse shifts to a more confrontational tone, with the lines "play your part, don't let me down, eat my heart, brawling going pound for pound." Here, the singer seems to be trying to assert some control over the situation, asking the other person to play their assigned role and not to disappoint them. However, they are met with resistance, as seen in the line "frozen ground, I'll be in the lost and found." This suggests that the singer is losing the battle and is resigned to being "lost and found."

The chorus provides a moment of respite from the dejected tone of the verses. The singer shares that they find solace in the simple act of skating, as evidenced by the lyrics "never think about god damn dying when I'm floating on the ice, never think about the sun when I'm floating through the night, never think about you and I'm feeling alright." Skating becomes a metaphor for the singer's ability to escape from reality and find temporary relief from their troubles. The final lines of the song, "I want to know, do you think the ice will hold, spell your name, feet parting seas of snow, feeling, cattails dying in the cold," evoke a sense of winter coldness and desolation. The singer is still grappling with their emotions, trying to find something to hold onto in a time of uncertainty.