Flakes
Florence the Machine Lyrics

This song
The artist is introducing the song.

Is one I never thought that I'd play
The artist is surprised that she is performing this particular song.

But if you want me gone
The artist acknowledges someone may want to end the relationship.

There are kinder ways to say
The artist is urging a person to end the relationship in a gentle way.

So long than spitting in my face
The artist is conveying that they would rather someone end a relationship in a respectful way rather than in a hurtful way.

They don't teach these things at school
The artist implies that there are certain ways of ending a relationship that are not taught in school.

They just lay down the rules which are there for you to break
The artist is suggesting that the rules are not there to be followed, but rather, they can be broken in certain circumstances.

If I'm wrong
The artist is acknowledging the possibility of being in the wrong.

Then dust me off and put me in my place
The artist is willing to take constructive criticism and accept responsibility for their actions.

Drop a bomb
The artist is acknowledging the possibility of something catastrophic happening in the relationship.

Shall you blow me away without even a trace?
The artist is implying that the other person can end the relationship without a trace of evidence or explanation.

I'll be gone and I won't give chase
The artist is indicating that they will not fight for a relationship that is ending.

'Cause when you're in pieces,
The artist is describing a situation in which a person is emotionally broken after a relationship ends.

You pick up the bits, and nothing fits,
The artist is acknowledging that after a relationship ends, it can be difficult to find a new purpose or direction.

And the wind blows you away
The artist is describing feeling lost and purposeless after a relationship ends.

I pray
The artist is expressing a desire for something.

There will come a day when you'll think of me and smile
The artist is expressing a hope that after the relationship ends, they will be remembered fondly.

These days
The artist is acknowledging a recent period of time.

Everything seems to last only a while
The artist is expressing a sense of transience in everything around them.

Remember the names
The artist is asking the other person to remember something specific.

For the day when we'd have a child
The artist is referring to a shared vision of having a child together.

But the trouble with dreams,
The artist is acknowledging a potential problem with idealized future plans.

They're not what they seem, 'cause when you awake,
The artist is saying that sometimes our dreams and idealized plans for the future don't match up with reality.

They fall through your fingers in flakes
The artist is using a metaphor to describe the impermanence of our dreams and idealized plans for the future.