Salt Skin
Ellie Goulding Lyrics

You're sharp as a knife and you fit like a glove
You're precise and well-suited to me, but that doesn't necessarily make for a healthy or loving relationship.

That is no way to live that is no way to love
Our relationship may be strong but is not built on a healthy foundation.

Full of fear in your skin and the weakness in giving in
You're afraid of being hurt again and find it difficult to be vulnerable.

Your stabbed in the back but you feel no pain
You've been hurt so many times that you have become numb.

Push the heaviest doors that you can't open
You're trying to force your way through obstacles that are insurmountable.

Yeah they tied me up and my body lies still, again
You feel trapped and powerless in your situation.

You're as bright as the sun and as calm as the wind
You possess both an aura of light and calming presence.

I don't know when you'll break but it's gonna be soon
You are strong but may reach a breaking point soon.

If my will caves in, I'll be in the same boat as you
If I lose my motivation and give up, I'll be in the same difficult position as you.

I've got the salt skin
I have a tough outer layer that protects me from emotional pain.

Running to where he is
I'm trying to find my partner and reconnect with them.

Never going to give in
I refuse to give up on us or our relationship.

Even with the strength
Despite my mental and emotional fortitude,

He's stealing salt skin
My partner is able to penetrate through my emotional barriers.

Telling me I'm winning
My partner reassures me that our relationship is heading in the right direction.

Wars they created
Unnecessary or manufactured disagreements or conflicts

Just to understand the meaning (of)
All in the name of trying to figure out what our relationship means.

Hands on strings and my mouth open
I am vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation.

Find the perfect words that I've not spoken
I am looking for the right words to express how I am feeling.

And I won't tell the truth unless you want me to
I will only be honest if I feel safe and am truly understood.

For all of the times that I lost my head
For the many times that my emotions got the better of me.

When it rolled to the floor and I found it again
When I had lost all sense of rationality and regained it.

But when it came back, I didn't know my own name
But when I regained control, I didn't recognize the person I was becoming.

Of,
And

Of
The overall meaning and purpose of our relationship/struggles.