It was performed on Niall Horan’s Flicker Sessions 2017, before being released along with the rest of the Flicker album.
Niall Horan posted a photo of the original handwritten lyrics of the song Flicker on Feb 21, 2018.
Flicker
Niall Horan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you know there's something missing
In the dark, we're barely hangin' on
Then you rest your head upon my chest
And you feel like there ain't nothing left
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
When you lay there and you're sleeping
Hear the patterns of your breathing
And I tell you things you've never heard before
Asking questions to the ceiling
Never knowing what you're thinking
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
And I want this to pass
And I hope this won't last
Last too long
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
In Niall Horan's song Flicker, the lyrics convey the feeling of struggling to hold on to a love that seems to be slipping away. The singer paints a picture of feeling lost and incomplete without their partner, and how they find comfort in moments of physical closeness. The verses are filled with despair and uncertainty, with lines like "When you know there's something missing," and "I'm afraid that what we had is gone." However, the chorus provides a glimmer of hope, with the singer recalling the spark and magic of their relationship's early days. They hold on to the light of optimism that their partner gave them and plead for them not to leave.
The lyrics are highly relatable and poignant, and Horan's emotive delivery adds a layer of vulnerability that makes the song all the more effective. The use of imagery - such as the "patterns of breathing" and "questions to the ceiling" - adds depth to the lyrics and helps to paint a vivid picture of the situation.
Overall, the lyrics to Flicker express the universal feeling of struggling to keep a relationship alive and the desperation one may feel in the face of potential loss. It's a powerful reminder of the importance of communication and the need to fight for love.
Line by Line Meaning
When you feel your love's been taken
When you feel like you've lost the love that once existed between us
When you know there's something missing
When it feels like something important is missing from our relationship
In the dark, we're barely hangin' on
In the challenging times, it feels like we're just barely holding our relationship together
Then you rest your head upon my chest
But when you rest your head on my chest, I feel our relationship still has a chance
And you feel like there ain't nothing left
You might be feeling hopeless and like there's nothing left for us
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
I'm afraid that the love we had is gone for good
Then I think of the start
But then I remember the beginning of our relationship
And it echoes a spark
And it reminds me of the spark we had at the start
And I remember the magic electricity
And how our love was electric and magical at the beginning
Then I look in my heart
And I search my own heart for answers
There's a light in the dark
And even in the darkness, there is still a glimmer of hope left
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
And that flicker of hope originally came from you
That I wanna keep
And I want to hold onto that hope and fight for our relationship
Please don't leave
I'm pleading with you to not give up on us and leave
When you lay there and you're sleeping
When you're asleep and I'm watching you
Hear the patterns of your breathing
I can hear the sound of your breathing and it's calming
And I tell you things you've never heard before
I open up to you and share my deepest thoughts and feelings
Asking questions to the ceiling
Sometimes I'm left wondering what you're thinking and I look up to the ceiling for answers
Never knowing what you're thinking
I'm always unsure about what's going on in your mind
And I want this to pass
I want our current struggles to pass and for our love to remain strong
And I hope this won't last
I'm hopeful that this rough patch won't last forever
Last too long
I don't want this difficult period to last longer than necessary
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Niall James Horan, John Henry Ryan, Julian Collin Bunetta, Teddy Geiger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alindavera5185
Lyrics
When you feel your love's been taken
When you know there's something missing
In the dark, we're barely hanging on
Then you rest your head upon my chest
And you feel like there ain't nothing left
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
When you lay there and you're sleeping
Hear the patterns of your breathing
And I tell you things you've never heard before
Asking questions to the ceiling
Never knowing what you're thinking
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
And I want this to pass
And I hope this won't last
Last too long
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
Like 💜🕊️
@sanniamalik6771
Harry: We're really funny
Niall: Aren't we?
Harry: Yeah we are, aren't we
Harry: The laughs we have!
Niall: Between me and you?
Harry: We have so many!
Niall: Pranks! Laughs! Oh!
IM gonna leave it here, AHHH those days
@RumbaFlamenca
I love the Lyrics of this song.
When you feel your love's been taken
When you know there's something missing
In the dark, we're barely hanging on
Then you rest your head upon my chest
And you feel like there ain't nothing left
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
When you lay there and you're sleeping
Hear the patterns of your breathing
And I tell you things you've never heard before
Asking questions to the ceiling
Never knowing what you're thinking
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
And I want this to pass
And I hope this won't last
Last too long
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
@nuuts27
When you feel your love's been taken
When you know there's something missing
In the dark, we're barely hangin' on
Then you rest your head upon my chest
And you feel like there ain't nothing left
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
When you lay there and you're sleeping
Hear the patterns of your breathing
And I tell you things you've never heard before
Asking questions to the ceiling
Never knowing what you're thinking
I'm afraid that what we had is gone
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
And I want this to pass
And I hope this won't last
Last too long
Then I think of the start
And it echoes a spark
And I remember the magic electricity
Then I look in my heart
There's a light in the dark
Still a flicker of hope that you first gave to me
That I wanna keep
Please don't leave
Please don't leave
@igotbangtaninyourareawithr3074
THIS IS SO GOOD
MY EARS ARE BLESSED
I DON'T KNOW
IF I SHOULD
BE
HAPPY
OR
SAD...
I'M CRYING LIKE AN UGLY HIPPO RN....
Niall never fails to amaze me, honestly his songs are just so beautiful and meaningful 💕
@anisamufidanurjanah1131
Niall: Please don't leave
Directioners: never in a million years
@yourgaycousin9533
we'd never do that
@hotpisces
WHY DID YOU HURT ME LIKE THIS
@stefaniegifta9329
Cry in a cool way :”)
@candi3091
NEVER
@ew-cp1bq
never in your wildest dreams Hahhaha
@shumayaz1345
Niall: “Please don’t leave”
Me: cries a river
@kayk480
My cousin used this song in a video after my grandpa died, in a slideshow of pictures of my grandma and grandpa. They had been married 63 years when he passed. Really hits hard when you use it in that context. 😓😢
@sohilamohamed7195
😭😭😭😭😭iam dying😭😭Iam from Egypt and i love Niall sososososososo.....much
@neishasamaroo9228
i was prepared not to cry tonight and well the top of my tee shirt is soaked now