When We Two Parted
Afghan Whigs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't I do a good job of pretending?
You're saying that the victim doesn't want it to end
Good
I get to dress up and play the assassin again
It's my favorite
It's got personality
I should have seen this shit coming down the hall
Every night I spent in that bed with you facing the wall
If I could have only once heard you scream
To feel you were alive
Instead of watching you abandoning yourself
Baby you can open your eyes now
And please allow me to present you with a clue
If I inflict the pain
Then baby only I can comfort you
Out of the night we come
And into the night we go
If it starts to hurt you
Then you have to say so
The first two lines paint a picture of someone, presumably the singer's lover, who has inflicted harm upon themselves again. The singer then questions whether they've done a good job of pretending, implying that this has happened before, and that it's possible they were aware of what was going on, but chose to ignore it. The next line “You're saying that the victim doesn't want it to end“, suggests that the person who is suffering doesn't want to get better, which could be a sign of mental health problems.
In the second stanza, the singer talks about how they enjoy playing the role of the "assassin", implying that they enjoy having control over this person's life. The line "Every night I spent in that bed with you facing the wall" suggests that there was a problem with the intimacy in the relationship, and that the singer was aware of it but chose not to do anything about it. The line "If I could have only once heard you scream" could be interpreted in different ways, but it is likely the singer is saying they wanted the person to react to their behavior, rather than just accepting it.
The final stanza suggests that the singer is aware that what they're doing is wrong, but they believe they're the only one who can offer this person any comfort. However, they urge the person to speak up if they're feeling hurt, and it seems that the singer is aware that they're causing the other person pain.
Overall, the song is an exploration of a toxic relationship in which one person takes control over the other, leading to self-harm and a lack of intimacy. The singer is aware of the damage they're causing but continues to act in this way.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, I see you've made yourself all sick again
I notice that you've intentionally made yourself ill to seek attention
Didn't I do a good job of pretending?
I was able to conceal my true feelings and deceive you
You're saying that the victim doesn't want it to end. Good.
You claim that the person being hurt doesn't want the abuse to stop, which pleases me
I get to dress up and play the assassin again. It's my favorite. It's got personality.
I'm excited to don the role of the attacker once more because it's unique and thrilling for me
I should have seen this shit coming down the hall
I should have known that this relationship was doomed before it even started
Every night I spent in that bed with you facing the wall
Every night we shared a bed, you turned your back to me and shut me out
If I could have only once heard you scream
If only I could have seen genuine emotion from you, even pain, I would have felt closer to you
To feel you were alive
I craved to see that you were human and capable of feeling
Instead of watching you abandoning yourself
Rather than witnessing you withdraw from me and the relationship
Baby you can open your eyes now
I want you to recognize the reality of our situation
And please allow me to present you with a clue
Let me offer you some insight
If I inflict the pain
If it's me who's causing the hurt
Then baby only I can comfort you
Then you'll come to me for solace and I'll feel powerful
Out of the night we come
Our relationship starts in the darkness
And into the night we go
Our relationship ends in the darkness
If it starts to hurt you
If you begin to experience pain
Then you have to say so
You need to speak up and let me know
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: GREG DULLI, RICHARD MCCOLLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@musicsoups
I don't know how I got here but am stunned into beautiful silence at the sound of this band... why oh why have I never heard of them ... totally blown away...x
@conjured_up_skeletons6178
Same here. I'm Fkg enchanted!
@Brewnoe
Can I present you with an ooo ;)
@joec2132
Cincinnati represents
@ohsoloco5113
I "discovered" this band in the early 90's from watching late night MTV (120 minutes). They're still the GOAT!
@marcwiers4555
One of the more iconic, underrated songs of the 90's.
@pathduck
"Good, I get to dress up and play the assassin again. It's my favorite, it's got personality."... Such powerful lyrics.
@conjured_up_skeletons6178
"If I inflict the pain babe only I can comfort you"... one of his grown-up songwriting moments.
@kalyred
No one has ever allowed me to explore the dark side on my world until Dulli. His lyrics take me there. To those moments. Those memories. Raw. Real. There.
@jasonpeterson4364
agreed