Undertow
Joe Pernice Lyrics


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I don, t wanna talk now
I don, t wanna hear you scream no more
Want somebody to save me
Everything I do feels like its wrong
All we do is fall down
Even though we try to stay afloat
I swear its gonna kill me
Even though you think it wont
So why rock a boat and make waves
And everything, s coming okay
So why am I confused if you love me
Thought this would be smooth sailing

Cause I don, t wanna let you go
And we, re caught in the undertow
Cause I ain, t losing my control
And we, re caught in the undertow
I hold the prayer is all our own
But we need air we go alone
Cause I don, t wanna let you go
Til we, re caught in the undertow

I don, t wanna cry every time we try it never fails
Change the illusion wanna be close set for sail
My hearts in your hand don, t you go hurt me again
All we got is one chance and its sink or swim
So why rock a boat and make waves
And everything, s coming okay
Why am I confused if you love me
Thought this would be smooth sailing

Cause I don, t wanna let you go
And we, re caught in the undertow
Cause I ain, t losing my control
And we, re caught in the undertow
I hold the prayer is all our own
But we need air we go alone
Cause I don, t wanna let you go
Til we, re caught in the undertow

And the world is rising
And the world is rising
And the world is rising
And the world is rising

Cause I don, t wanna let you go
Through the crowd in the undertow
And I, m losing my control
Through the crowd in the undertow
And I don, t wanna let you go
But we, re caught in the undertow
And I, m losing my control
Though we, re caught in the undertow

Our only prayer is all our own
We both need air we go alone
Our only prayer is on our own
We both need air we go alone

Cause I don, t wanna let you go




I don, t wanna let you go
Cause we, re caught in the undertow.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Joe Pernice's song Undertow are about a relationship that is falling apart, even though both parties are trying their best to save it. The singer doesn't want to talk or listen to his partner scream anymore, and he feels like everything he does is wrong. Despite their effort to stay afloat, all they do is fall down. The singer admits that the situation is going to kill him, even if his partner thinks it won't. He wonders why they are making waves when everything seems to be fine, and why he is confused if his partner loves him. He thought the relationship would be smooth sailing, but they are caught in the undertow, and he doesn't want to let go.


The chorus repeats the idea that they are caught in the undertow, and the singer doesn't want to lose control or let go of his partner. They both need air, but they go alone. The final verse talks about the world rising, and the singer feels like he's losing control as they get swept away by the crowd. Their only prayer is on their own, and they both need air as they go alone. The song ends with the chorus repetition, emphasizing the idea that they are caught in the undertow and can't escape.


The song can be interpreted in many different ways, but the general themes are about struggling to save a relationship and feeling like you're being swept away by a force you can't control. It portrays the struggle and emotions that come with a failing relationship, and the fear of losing someone you love.


Line by Line Meaning

I don't wanna talk now
I am not willing to communicate at the moment


I don't wanna hear you scream no more
I do not want to listen to your yelling anymore


Want somebody to save me
I am looking for someone to rescue me


Everything I do feels like it's wrong
My actions seem incorrect to me


All we do is fall down
We keep failing repeatedly


Even though we try to stay afloat
Despite our efforts to keep from sinking


I swear it's gonna kill me
I feel like this situation will be the death of me


Even though you think it wont
Although you may not believe it


So why rock a boat and make waves
Why take risks and cause problems


And everything's coming okay
Things seem to be resolving themselves


So why am I confused if you love me
Why do I feel unsure even if you say you love me


Thought this would be smooth sailing
I expected things to be easy and trouble-free


Cause I don't wanna let you go
I am not willing to lose you


And we're caught in the undertow
We are being pulled under by our problems


Cause I ain't losing my control
I am trying to maintain my composure


I hold the prayer is all our own
I hope that we can handle this together


But we need air we go alone
We need to take care of ourselves sometimes


Til we're caught in the undertow
Until we have to face our problems again


I don't wanna cry every time we try it never fails
I do not want to keep getting upset every time we attempt to make things work


Change the illusion wanna be close set for sail
I want to change this idealistic notion and be realistic about our future


My heart's in your hand don't you go hurt me again
I have given my heart to you, please do not hurt me again


All we got is one chance and its sink or swim
We only have one opportunity and it could go either way


Through the crowd in the undertow
Trying to navigate through our problems amidst chaos


And the world is rising
The problems we face seem to be getting worse


Our only prayer is on our own
We can only rely on ourselves to get through this


I don't wanna let you go
I do not want to lose you


And I'm losing my control
I am struggling to keep it together




Writer(s): PERNICE

Contributed by Riley A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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