Down The Line
José Gonzalez Lyrics

In José Gonzalez's song "Down the Line," the singer explores the consequences of repeatedly making the same mistake. The first stanza begins with the singer's foresight of the future, and he sees problems down the line. He is convinced that he is right about his prediction. The second line refers to a known mistake that someone has made, and although he is aware of the error, this individual does it again, indicated by the repetition of "making the same mistake twice." The phrase "There was a dirt upon your hands" suggests that the individual has made a critical error that they didn't want to get caught doing, as if they had dirt on their hands.

In the chorus, the singer extends an invitation to the individual he is observing, likely someone close to him, to come over, and he/she will be caught up with him. The phrase "It's not about compromising" implies there is no need to settle to achieve what he/she wants. As the chorus repeats, the singer confirms his foresight once again; he sees darkness down the line and knows it is hard to fight. The second stanza, like the first, reinforces the individual's repeated mistake, and again the singer invites the person, this time to compromise, to avoid seeing problems from his point of view, which he believes to be accurate.

Possible interpretations of the chorus "Don’t let the darkness eat you up" include advice to the individual to avoid being consumed by his/her mistakes and a reminder that it is their responsibility to prevent further problems from arising down the line.