My ring kept him on, been learning fast
I just got you wrong, it's not built to last, it's not built to last
Time keeps on tripping on, though I learn my lessons fast
And it was time for me to cut and run
And if I ever do the past, you're not the only one, we're living

Parallel lives
Oh, you're not the only one
We're so entwined to lose it
To the passing of time
Oh, we came undone
We came untied, we came untied

We live separate lives, can't even organize
One more meeting of minds ain't gonna make it right, no
There's more humanity in just letting it be now
'Cause I can't seem to justify when we're living separate dreams
Have we forgotten love, we're lost in

Parallel lives
Oh, you're not the only one
We're so entwined to lose it
To the passing of time
Oh, we came undone
We came untied, we came untied

Parallel lives
Oh, you're not the only one
We're so entwined to choose it
To the passing of time
Oh, we came undone
We came untied, we came untied

Are we chose to give it
Are we chose to live it, our separate lives?
Got too close to heaven
But are we too driven in a parallel light?
All because we chose to live it
Are chose to give in our separate lives?
Got too close to heaven
Well, are we too driven in a parallel light?
What were we destined for, to live in

Parallel lives
Oh, you're not the only one
We're so entwined to lose it
To the passing of time
Oh, we came undone
We came untied, we came untied

Parallel lives
Oh, you're not the only one
We're so entwined to choose it
To the passing of time
Oh, we came undone
We came untied, we came untied

Overall Meaning

In "Parallel Lives," Róisín Murphy is reflecting on a past relationship that has come to an end. The lyrics suggest that the relationship was built on illusions and misunderstandings that led to the couple leading parallel but separate lives. The singer acknowledges that she made mistakes but also recognizes that the relationship was not meant to last. She struggles to justify the reasons for their separation and questions the purpose of their relationship. "Parallel Lives" is open to interpretation, but it seems to suggest that sometimes people follow separate paths in life and that it's better to let go and move on than to hold onto something that's not meant to be.

Line by Line Meaning

My ring kept him on, been learning fast
The security of being engaged convinced him to stay despite underlying issues due to my fast learning of the relationship dynamic.

I just got you wrong, it's not built to last, it's not built to last
I misunderstood the relationship as something long-lasting, but it's not meant to be forever.

Time keeps on tripping on, though I learn my lessons fast
Time keeps slipping away, even though I've learned quickly from my experiences in the relationship.

And it was time for me to cut and run
It was necessary for me to end the relationship and move on.

And if I ever do the past, you're not the only one, we're living
If either of us looks back to the past, we will both see that we were both living our separate lives.

Parallel lives
We are living separate lives, not in sync with each other.

Oh, you're not the only one
We are both equally responsible for our relationship falling apart.

We're so entwined to lose it
Despite being intertwined, we still managed to lose what we had.

To the passing of time
As time goes by, our relationship deteriorates.

Oh, we came undone
Our relationship unraveled and fell apart.

We came untied, we came untied
We became disconnected and fell apart.

We live separate lives, can't even organize
We live completely separate lives and can't even coordinate a meeting.

One more meeting of minds ain't gonna make it right, no
Having one more conversation won't fix our issues and save our relationship.

There's more humanity in just letting it be now
It's more humane to just let the relationship go and move on.

'Cause I can't seem to justify when we're living separate dreams
I can't justify staying together when our goals and aspirations are different.

Have we forgotten love, we're lost in
We may have lost sight of love in the midst of living separate lives.

Are we chose to give it
Did we choose to give up on the relationship?

Are we chose to live it, our separate lives?
Did we choose to live our separate lives instead of working on the relationship?

Got too close to heaven
We were really close to having a great relationship.

But are we too driven in a parallel light?
However, were we too focused on our own separate lives and not enough on the relationship?

What were we destined for, to live in
What was our fate? Was it to live separate lives?

Parallel lives
We are living parallel lives, not together.

Oh, you're not the only one
We are both equal parts of the failed relationship.

We're so entwined to choose it
Despite being intertwined, we both chose to let the relationship fall apart.

Oh, we came undone
Our relationship unraveled and came apart.

We came untied, we came untied
We became disconnected from each other.

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