Darling West is a Norwegian country band based in Oslo and comprising Mari … Read Full Bio ↴Darling West is a Norwegian country band based in Oslo and comprising Mari Sandvær Kreken (vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar, harmonica, dulcimer), Tor Egil Kreken (vocals, banjo) and Kjetil Steensnæs (vocals, guitar)

The band was formed when the couple Mari and Tor Egil Kreken decided that the best way to get to spend some quality time together, was to create a common band project. They asked musical soul mate and guitar player extraordinaire Kjetil Steensnæs to join them, and Darling West was complete.

They all spent their formative years working as session musicians for other artists, but something magical happens when the three of them get together as Darling West. Writing their own songs, they create music that resonates equally well on the crowded streets of Nashville, the sunny mountaintops of Hollywood Hills and in the rainy valleys of Norway.

When asked to name musicians they’re inspired by, the band cites legends such as Emmylou Harris, Doc Watson, Gram Parsons, John Prine and Townes Van Zandt, but also current artists Gillian Welch, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Adams, Sam Outlaw and Jason Isbell.

In 2014 the group released their first album, Winter Passing, which was nominated for “Country Album of the Year” at the Spellemannpris (Norwegian Grammy Awards). Their second album “Vinyl and a Heartache” was released in 2016.

Loneliness
Darling West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If this is what loneliness feels like
I've never been lonely before
Those letters you so eloquently turned into words
And left for me one morning on a note by the door
If this is what loneliness feels like
I've never been lonely before

If this is what heartbreak feels like

I've never been broken before
The world that collapsed when you killed our romance
And unlike Rome built back up in a
day when you said there was a chance
If this is what heartbreak feels like
I've never been broken before

You had me guessing, and I thought I had won
But I was getting,
getting it wrong cause in your mind you were already gone

If this is what weariness feels like
I've never been weary before
Those hours by the phone spent waiting for your call
While my mind was racing and my thoughts were at war
If this is what weariness feels like
I've never been weary before

If this is what loneliness feels like
I've never been lonely before

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Darling West's song "Loneliness" tell a story of heartbreak, confusion and weariness. The singer speaks of feeling emotions they have never experienced before. They describe how they have been given letters from their lover that they held in such high regard, but now with the end of the relationship, those letters only serve as a painful reminder of what they have lost. The singer speaks of the world they had built collapsing when they learned the news of the relationship ending, and they are left to pick up the pieces.

The singer also speaks of feeling weariness, describing how many hours they spent by the phone waiting for their lover to call. They were constantly filled with anxiety and running through their thoughts while waiting. The lines "you had me guessing, and I thought I had won, but I was getting, getting it wrong cause in your mind you were already gone" show that the singer was under the illusion that things were good and perhaps they could reconcile, but in reality, their partner had already moved on emotionally.

Line by Line Meaning

If this is what loneliness feels like
The singer is reflecting on their feelings and wondering if what they are feeling is loneliness.

I've never been lonely before
The singer has not experienced loneliness before.

Those letters you so eloquently turned into words
The singer is referring to letters that were written to them.

And left for me one morning on a note by the door
The letters were left for the singer in the morning at their doorstep.

If this is what heartbreak feels like
The singer is reflecting on their feelings and wondering if what they are feeling is heartbreak.

I've never been broken before
The singer has never experienced heartbreak before.

The world that collapsed when you killed our romance
The singer's world fell apart when their romance ended.

And unlike Rome built back up in a day when you said there was a chance
The singer thought there was a chance to rebuild the relationship but it did not happen.

You had me guessing, and I thought I had won
The singer was unsure about the relationship but thought they had won.

But I was getting, getting it wrong cause in your mind you were already gone
The singer was mistaken because the other person had already mentally left the relationship.

If this is what weariness feels like
The singer is reflecting on their feelings and wondering if what they are feeling is weariness.

Those hours by the phone spent waiting for your call
The singer spent a lot of time waiting for a call.

While my mind was racing and my thoughts were at war
The singer's thoughts were in conflict while they waited for the call.

If this is what loneliness feels like
The singer is still reflecting on their feelings and still unsure if what they are feeling is loneliness.

I've never been lonely before
The singer reiterates that they have not experienced loneliness before.

Contributed by Lucy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS