Oh, come crush me now
Don't leave
No one has won this war this time
No don't sleep tonight
I'm burnt and ready for fire
Don't leave me up alarmed
And ready to die
Come on, it's war, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Come on it's war, come on
Please, I'm almost done
Don't retreat
I've loaded my gun with blood
Here, the dust roll over the floor
Why must you sleep
Come crush me now, unarmed
And ready to die
Come on, it's war, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Come on it's war, come on (come crush me now)
Come on, fight me, come on
Come on, it's war, come on
You look so peaceful when you sleep
Beautiful creep
It's such an easy way to choose, you lose
It's getting late
Come on, it's war, come on (come crush me now)
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, fight me, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, it's war, come on (come crush me now)
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, it's war, come on
You look so peaceful when you sleep
Beautiful creep
It's such an easy way to choose, you lose

Overall Meaning

The Cardigans’ song “War” describes a relationship that is at a breaking point where the singer is begging their partner to fight with them. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and frustration, as the singer is tired of having to fight alone. The opening lines “Oh, come crush me now, Don't leave, No one has won this war this time” suggest that the singer is willing to be defeated if it means that their partner will engage with them in this battle. The repetition of “come on, it’s war, come on” further emphasizes this plea and the need for a response. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is ready to fight to the bitter end as they continue to say “I'm burnt and ready for fire, Don't leave me up alarmed and ready to die”.

The line “You look so peaceful when you sleep, Beautiful creep, It's such an easy way to choose, you lose” suggests that the partner is avoiding the conflict and is choosing to sleep instead of engaging. The term “Beautiful creep” could also allude to the idea that the partner is slowly eroding the relationship by avoiding the conflict.

In conclusion, “War” by The Cardigans is a song that paints a bleak picture of a relationship that is on the brink of collapse due to one partner’s unwillingness to engage in conflict. The lyrics are a plea for the partner to fight and save the relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, come crush me now
I am begging you to end this fight by defeating me

Don't leave
Stay until this conflict is resolved

No one has won this war this time
Neither of us has emerged victorious yet

No don't sleep tonight
We can't rest until this battle is over

I'm burnt and ready for fire
I'm exhausted and willing to do whatever it takes to end this

Don't leave me up alarmed
Don't abandon me during this intense and frightening conflict

And ready to die
I'm prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary

Come on, it's war, come on
Let's get this fight over with

Please, I'm almost done
I'm reaching my limit and need this to be over soon

Don't retreat
Don't give up ground or abandon the fight

I've loaded my gun with blood
I'm ready and willing to spill blood to win this