Only One
Dan and Amy Lyrics

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On the verge of no return, why'd you keep fucking it up?
Don't wanna have to bury you, but nothing seems to get through your skull
One day the only butterflies left will be in your chest
As you march towards your death, breathing your last breath
I hate to say, "I told you so", but look how the bruises show

Tell me, how's it gonna feel without my arms wrapped around, wrapped around you?
Bet it feels pretty real when your skin starts to peel from the bone

You were dead to the world, now I'm dead to you
Haunting your own house, nothing to lose
How did I let you sink your fangs so deep? Ah
You know you can't breathe on your own

Past the point of rescuing, why'd I keep pushing my luck?
The hole I wore into your soul has got too big to overlook
One day the only butterflies left will be in our chests
As we march towards our death, breathing our last breath
I thought we had a future, but we ain't got a chance in hell

So tell me, how's it gonna feel without my arms wrapped around, wrapped around you?
Bet it feels pretty real when your skin starts to peel from the bone
You were dead to the world, now I'm dead to you
Haunting your own house, nothing to lose
I let you sink your fangs so deep, ah
You know I can't breathe on my own (you know you can't breathe on your own)
How can I breathe on my own? (How can you breathe on your own?)

The sun is setting on our love, I fear
Letting our loneliness out into the atmosphere
The tide is turning on, our chance to turn it 'round
I never thought I'd see my fingernails fall out

Love isn't in the air
Love isn't in the air

Love isn't in the air
Love isn't in the air

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Only One" by Dan and Amy express the pain and frustration of a failing relationship. The singer feels they have reached the point of no return and wonders why their partner keeps messing things up. The metaphor of butterflies in the chest is used to convey the sense of impending doom as the couple moves closer to their ultimate end. The bruises mentioned in the lyrics may be physical or emotional, but either way, they serve as tangible evidence of the damage that has been done in the relationship. The singer acknowledges their own role in the failure of the relationship and questions how they let things get so bad.

The chorus of the song is particularly poignant. The singer asks their partner how it will feel to be without their embrace, knowing that the separation will be painful and very real. As the relationship crumbles, the singer notes that they are dead to each other, and that their home is now haunted and empty. The song concludes with the idea that love is no longer in the air, and that the pain of the failed relationship is now out in the world.

Overall, "Only One" conveys a sense of raw emotion and desperation. It is a powerful song about the pain of love lost, and the difficulty of moving on when things fall apart.

Line by Line Meaning

On the verge of no return, why'd you keep fucking it up?
We were so close to fixing our relationship, however, you continued to make mistakes that pushed us beyond repair.

Don't wanna have to bury you, but nothing seems to get through your skull
I hate to imagine losing you, but you're not receptive to my efforts to help and you're not learning from your mistakes.

One day the only butterflies left will be in your chest
Eventually, the only thing that will be left to feel will be the panic and regret that will consume you from realizing what you have lost.

As you march towards your death, breathing your last breath
Your self-destructive behavior is only leading to your demise and you're not making efforts to stop it.

I hate to say, 'I told you so', but look how the bruises show
It hurts me to be right, however, the physical and emotional harm you've brought upon yourself is proof of your destructive actions.

Tell me, how's it gonna feel without my arms wrapped around, wrapped around you?
Now that we're separated, how will you feel without my love and support that helped you through the challenges of life?

Bet it feels pretty real when your skin starts to peel from the bone
Losing someone who truly cared for you can feel like the skin is peeling off your body, leaving you exposed and vulnerable.

You were dead to the world, now I'm dead to you
When you were struggling with your issues, the world didn't matter to you, but now that you're better, you've turned your back on me.

Haunting your own house, nothing to lose
You're still in the same place, with the same problems, but you're not making any efforts to fix them.

How did I let you sink your fangs so deep? Ah
I blame myself for allowing you to be so destructive to our relationship and having such a negative impact on your life.

You know you can't breathe on your own
You're so dependent on me that you don't know how to survive without me, figuratively and literally.

Past the point of rescuing, why'd I keep pushing my luck?
I tried my best to save our relationship, but it's beyond repair and I regret not realizing it sooner.

The hole I wore into your soul has got too big to overlook
Because of my own insecurities and failures, I've caused you to suffer a great deal and the damage is too severe to repair.

I thought we had a future, but we ain't got a chance in hell
I once believed that we could rebuild our relationship and have a future together, but now, it seems impossible.

The sun is setting on our love, I fear
Our love has faded and is now finally coming to an end.

Letting our loneliness out into the atmosphere
As we end our relationship, the loneliness we feel is all that remains.

The tide is turning on, our chance to turn it 'round
Our chance to fix our relationship has passed and it's now too late to turn things around.

I never thought I'd see my fingernails fall out
The stress and pain caused by our relationship has affected me so much that even my physical health is deteriorating.

Love isn't in the air
Our love is gone and we can no longer feel it or share it with one another.