Running Out
Etham Lyrics


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I don't have the time to
Wait for a breakthrough
I'm tired of losing patience with you
It's a cycle of pain we've been through, oh no

But I can't hate you
But I can't save you
Once again I'm stuck here in the middle of
Wanting to let go, needing to keep hold
There's no end, once again, you walk in

And I'm running out
Out of time, out of breath, out of space
Out of words, out of things I can say
Out of hope, yeah, 'cause you'll never change
Once again, you walk in
And I'm running out
Out of places to hide in my head
Out of ways to forget what you said
It's a fight and I've got no defence
Once again you walk in
And I'm running out
And I'm running out

Promise comes freely, broken too easy
Don't show me feelings that you never meant
They're just letters that you never sent, oh

But I can't hate you
But I can't save you
Once again, I'm stuck here in the middle of
Wanting to let go, needing to keep hold
There's no end, once again, you walk in

And I'm running out
Out of time, out of breath, out of space
Out of words, out of things I can say
Out of hope, yeah, 'cause you'll never change
Once again, you walk in, and I'm running out
Out of places to hide in my head
Out of ways to forget what you said
It's a fight and I've got no defence
Once again, you walk in, yeah

Some things are better off forgotten
Some things you wish you didn't want 'em
Take you to hell and back again, oh, no, no
'Cause I can't hate you
But I can't save you, no
Wanting to hold back, needing to let go
Oh, so I'm running out

Out of time, out of breath, out of space
Out of words, out of things I can say
Out of hope, yeah, 'cause you'll never change
Once again, you walk in, and I'm running out
Out of places to hide in my head
Out of ways to forget what you said
It's a fight and I've got no defence
Once again, you walk in
And I'm running out, oh, no

Once again, you walk in




And I'm running out, oh, yeah
I'm running out, running out

Overall Meaning

The song "Running Out" by Etham is a haunting ballad about being trapped in a cycle of pain with someone who keeps coming back into your life, despite your best efforts to move on. The opening lines make it clear that the singer is tired of waiting for a breakthrough and losing patience with this person. They know that this is a cycle they've been through before and are feeling stuck in the middle, torn between wanting to let go and needing to hold on. However, they also know that they can't hate or save the other person, and they're once again running out of time, breath, space, and hope as this person walks back into their life.


The chorus reinforces this feeling of being trapped and helpless. The singer is running out of ways to cope and forget what this person has done or said in the past, and they feel defenseless as they're forced to confront them once again. The promise of change and broken feelings don't mean anything to the singer anymore, as they've been hurt too many times. They can't decide whether they want to hold back or let go, and they're running out of time to figure it out.


Overall, the song paints a vivid picture of the frustration and helplessness that comes with being trapped in a toxic relationship or cycle with someone who keeps hurting you. The repetition of the phrase "once again" reinforces the cyclical nature of this dynamic, and the sense of urgency in the lyrics creates a sense of tension and desperation that's hard to shake.


Line by Line Meaning

I don't have the time to
I cannot afford to wait any longer for something to change.


Wait for a breakthrough
Wait for something positive to happen.


I'm tired of losing patience with you
I am weary of the constant disappointment and frustration with you.


It's a cycle of pain we've been through, oh no
We have been through the same painful situation before, and it is happening again.


But I can't hate you
I do not have the capacity to hate you, despite the pain you have caused me.


But I can't save you
I am unable to change you or the situation we are in.


Once again I'm stuck here in the middle of
Once again I find myself in the middle of the same situation.


Wanting to let go, needing to keep hold
I want to let go of the pain, but I also fear losing what little control I have.


There's no end, once again, you walk in
There seems to be no end to this cycle, and you are once again entering my life.


And I'm running out
I am reaching my limit of what I can handle emotionally and mentally.


Out of time, out of breath, out of space
I feel like I am running out of time and energy to deal with this situation.


Out of words, out of things I can say
I feel like I no longer have the words or communication skills to express how I feel.


Out of hope, yeah, 'cause you'll never change
I am losing hope that things will ever get better because you refuse to change.


Out of places to hide in my head
I have no more mental defenses to shield myself from the pain.


Out of ways to forget what you said
I have exhausted all means of trying to forget or move past the hurtful things you have said.


It's a fight and I've got no defence
I am in a constant battle with my own emotions, but I have no way to protect myself from the pain.


Promise comes freely, broken too easy
Promises are given all too easily, yet they are broken just as easily.


Don't show me feelings that you never meant
Do not express emotions that you do not genuinely feel.


They're just letters that you never sent, oh
These emotions are empty and meaningless, like unsent letters.


Some things are better off forgotten
It is better to forget some things than to constantly dwell on them and cause more pain.


Some things you wish you didn't want 'em
There are things that we desire but ultimately cause us more harm than good.


Take you to hell and back again, oh, no, no
These painful memories and experiences can take you to a dark and dismal place.


Wanting to hold back, needing to let go
I want to hold on to what is hurting me, but I know I need to let it go.


Oh, so I'm running out
Therefore, I am at my breaking point and cannot hold on any longer.


And I'm running out, oh, yeah
I cannot keep going; I am running out of strength and willpower.


I'm running out, running out
My patience, energy, and hope are all running out.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ethan Basden, Stephen Robson, Wayne Hector

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@ahmadfatwalazuardi5552

[Verse 1]
Don't have the time to
Wait for a breakthrough
I'm tired of losing patience with you
It's a cycle of pain we've been through, oh no

[Pre-Chorus]
But I can't hate you
But I can't save you
Once again I'm stuck here in the middle of
Wanting to let go, needing to keep hold
There's no end
And once again you walk in

[Chorus]
And I'm running out
Out of time, out of breath, out of space
Out of words, out of things I can say
Out of hope, yeah, 'cause you never change
Once again you walk in
And I'm running out
Out of places to hide in my head
Out of ways to forgive what you said
It's a fight and I've got no defence
Once again you walk in
And I'm running out
And I'm running out

[Verse 2]
Promise comes freely, broken too easy
Don't show me feelings that you never meant
They're just letters that you never sent, oh

[Pre-Chorus]
But I can't hate you
But I can't save you
Once again I'm stuck here in the middle of
Wanting to let go, needing to keep hold
There's no end
And once again you walk in

[Chorus]
And I'm running out
Out of time, out of breath, out of space
Out of words, out of things I can say
Out of hope, yeah, 'cause you never change
Once again you walk in
And I'm running out
Out of places to hide in my head
Out of ways to forgive what you said
It's a fight and I've got no defence
Once again you walk in, yeah

[Bridge]
Somethings are better left forgotten
Some things you wish you didn't want them
Take you to hell and back again, oh, no, no
'Cause I can't hate you
But I can't save you, oh
Wanting to hold back, needing to let go
Oh, so I'm running out



All comments from YouTube:

@nia_m_h_2334

Those two dislikes are a mistake, what's not to like:
-It's relatable
-It's soulful
-It's emotional
-It's well timed
-He's okay to look at
-It's ETHAM

This is really good

@ethambasden

haha, thanks so much!

@aditikeertani8180

'okay to look at' smh

@l.a.newkirk7075

He's amazing!!!!

@nia_m_h_2334

You are so underrated, your songs are always so relatable. 😭❤👌🏽

@ethambasden

Thank you so much, glad you like them x

@austinking6854

Ong

@miriannatali2286

All good songs are underrated.

@knowledgewilliams165

Him and Clara mae are criminally underrated check her out aswell the stripped version of her songs.

Run into you-

Drunk on emotions-

unmiss you-

@joannesoo8088

Still my go-to song every time someone disappoints, hurts, saddens, or breaks me. Thank you so much for producing so many great music, you're truly a blessing to this universe. Sending all the love and support from Malaysia xx

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