Frenship (stylized FRENSHIP) is an American pop duo, consisting of James Su… Read Full Bio ↴Frenship (stylized FRENSHIP) is an American pop duo, consisting of James Sunderland and Brett Hite. The duo first posted to SoundCloud the song "Knives", which was produced alongside Norwegian producer Matoma. The track gained popularity online which led the duo to upload a second track, "Nowhere", followed by "Carpet". In June 2016, the duo released "Capsize", a collaboration with American singer and songwriter Emily Warren, charting in multiple countries. The song also reached number one on Hype Machine, and has surpassed 505 million streams on Spotify. Their follow up single "1000 Nights" has over 45 million streams on Spotify to date, and continues to grow at Alternative Radio. Frenship released their debut EP, Truce, in September 2016 via Columbia Records. Their debut album, Vacation, was released on 17 May 2019.

Keep You Close
Frenship Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We fight but never learn
And I'm doing the best I can
But I can't treat you right
Someday in another land
Another land and a different life

I never know when you're going
I only know when you're gone
I never know when you're going
I only know when you're gone

You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
I'll run to the arms of the girl I have
She don't know about our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close

So I keep you close
Oh I keep you close
Never letting go
So I keep you close

I'd bury you if I could
I could, but I can't
And I know that I should
I should not think like that
It'd be easier not to feel
Feel the weight of what you bring
The hurt doesn't let me heal
Would you heal me from this feeling?

You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
I'll run to the arms of the girl I have
She don't know about our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close

So I keep you close
Oh I keep you close
Never letting go
So I keep you close

So I keep you close
Oh I keep you close
Never letting go
So I keep you close

I never know when you're going
I never know when you're gone
I never know when you're going
I never know when you're gone

You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past

A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close

Overall Meaning

In Frenship's song "Keep You Close," the lyrics depict a complicated and tumultuous relationship. The singer acknowledges that despite their love for the person they are singing about, they are aware that they are not able to provide the love and support they deserve. They encourage this person to seek happiness and fulfillment with someone else, urging them to "run to the arms of a better man." The singer's jealousy surfaces as they admit that they are doing all they can to keep this person close, even though they know it is not the right thing.

The lyrics also convey a sense of longing and heartbreak. The narrative takes place in the dead of night, emphasizing the isolation and loneliness the singer feels. They recount the struggles they have faced in the relationship, constantly trying to fight for it but never truly learning from their mistakes. The lyrics convey a sense of resignation and acceptance that they are not able to provide the love and support necessary for this person, and that they may have to find happiness elsewhere.

Line by Line Meaning

You should run to the arms of a better man
You should seek comfort and love from someone who can treat you better than I can.

Putting miles between our past
Putting physical distance between us in order to move on from our shared history.

A jealous heart does all it can
My possessive and insecure feelings do everything possible to hold onto you.

To keep you close
To ensure that you stay near me and do not leave.

Alone in the dead of night
Feeling lonely and isolated during the darkest hours of the night.

The night that let us burn
The night that allowed our emotions to intensify and cause pain.

In misery we try to fight
In our state of unhappiness, we try to resist and overcome our struggles.

We fight but never learn
We engage in conflicts repeatedly without gaining any new understanding or growth.

And I'm doing the best I can
I am putting forth my greatest efforts.

But I can't treat you right
But I am unable to provide you with the love and care you deserve.

Someday in another land
Perhaps in a different place or time.

Another land and a different life
A different location and a new way of living.

I never know when you're going
I am uncertain of when you will leave.

I only know when you're gone
I am only aware of your absence.

I'll run to the arms of the girl I have
I will seek solace with the woman I am currently involved with.

She don't know about our past
She is unaware of our previous relationship and the history between us.

So I keep you close
So I hold onto the memories and emotions associated with you.

Never letting go
Refusing to release my attachment to you.

I'd bury you if I could
If it were possible, I would hide or suppress my feelings for you.

And I know that I should
And I understand that it would be healthier for me to do so.

I should not think like that
I should refrain from entertaining such thoughts.

It'd be easier not to feel
It would be less difficult to numb myself from these emotions.

Feel the weight of what you bring
To experience the heaviness and impact of the emotions you evoke in me.

The hurt doesn't let me heal
The pain prevents me from recovering and finding healing.

Would you heal me from this feeling?
I wonder if you could provide relief and cure me of these emotions.

I never know when you're gone
I am always uncertain of when you will leave.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: James Prentiss Sunderland, Brett A Hite

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

No Related Genres

More Genres

No Artists Found

More Artists Load All

No Albums Found

More Albums Load All

No Tracks Found

01Keep You Close3:17

PT3M17S

Frenship

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Yash Chellani

5y↑1

You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
Alone in the dead of night
The night that let us burn
In misery we try to fight
We fight but never learn
And I'm doing the best I can
But I can't treat you right
Someday in another land
Another land and a different life
I never know when you're going
I only know when you're gone
I never know when you're going
I only know when you're gone
You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
I'll run to the arms of the girl I have
She don't know about our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
So I keep you close
Oh I keep you close
Never letting go
So I keep you close
I'd bury you if I could
I could, but I can't
And I know that I should
I should not think like that
It'd be easier not to feel
Feel the weight of what you bring
The hurt doesn't let me heal
Would you heal me from this feeling?
You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
I'll run to the arms of the girl I have
She don't know about our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close
So I keep you close
Oh I keep you close
Never letting go
So I keep you close
So I keep you close
Oh I keep you close
Never letting go
So I keep you close
I never know when you're going
I never know when you're gone
I never know when you're going
I never know when you're gone
You should run to the arms of a better man
Putting miles between our past
A jealous heart does all it can
To keep you close