Pretend
Sick Shift Lyrics
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With no reason except to miss you
I want to hold you in my arms now just like a child
But it hurts too much to care
All that I want is for you to kiss me and say
Everything is fine
But now I hang my head cuz you're not mine
Why do I pretend that I'm over you?
Why do I pretend that I don't care no more?
Cuz deep inside these feelings for you will never end
There are times when you find yourself lying awake
With no reason except to hate me
Looking back now it seems like it was
Too good to be true
How could it be such a good thing has passed?
Well, the only one I blame is me
But back then I was much too dumb to see
I was young an foolish, an insecure wreck
Didn't know what I wanted, I was incorrect
Concealing my feelings and I don't know why
But I don't want to let you go
I never want to hear you say goodbye
You don't know how I feel
And I can't pretend it's not real
The lyrics of Sick Shift's song Pretend express the pain and confusion of a person who is still in love with their former partner. The first stanza conveys a feeling of sadness and longing. The singer is lying awake at night, missing their partner and wanting to hold them like a child. However, they acknowledge that it hurts too much to care. They wish their partner would come back and tell them everything is fine, but they know that they can't. The chorus expresses the singer's confusion and denial. They ask themselves why they pretend to be over their partner, why they pretend they're just friends, and why they pretend they don't care anymore. They know deep down that their feelings for their partner will never end, but they can't bring themselves to admit it.
The second stanza shifts the perspective to the partner that the singer is missing. The partner is also lying awake at night, but they're feeling angry and resentful towards the singer. They had a good thing going with the singer, but it was too good to be true. The partner can't understand how they let a good thing slip away. However, the singer takes responsibility for their mistakes. They were young, foolish, and insecure. They didn't know what they wanted, and they were wrong. They concealed their feelings and they don't know why. But they don't want to let their partner go, and they never want to hear them say goodbye. The final line emphasizes that the singer's feelings are real, even if their partner doesn't know how they feel.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of sadness and regret. The singer and their partner had a good thing going, but they let their insecurities and misunderstandings get in the way. They're both struggling to move on, but they can't deny their feelings for each other. The song's slow tempo and mournful melody reinforce the sense of longing and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
There are times when I find myself lying awake
Sometimes I stay up at night, just missing you for no apparent reason.
With no reason except to miss you
I miss you and want to see you again.
I want to hold you in my arms now just like a child
I want to hold you close to me like I did when we were younger.
But it hurts too much to care
It's painful to think about you because I can't have you.
All that I want is for you to kiss me and say Everything is fine
I wish you were here to tell me that everything is going to be okay.
But now I hang my head cuz you're not mine
I feel sad and defeated because we can't be together.
Why do I pretend that I'm over you?
I pretend to be over you, but I'm not.
Why do I pretend we're just friends?
I act like we're just friends, but deep down inside, I want more.
Why do I pretend that I don't care no more?
I act like I don't care anymore, but I still have feelings for you.
Cuz deep inside these feelings for you will never end
I will always have strong feelings for you deep down inside.
There are times when you find yourself lying awake
Sometimes you stay up at night, thinking about how much you hate me.
With no reason except to hate me
You hate me now and have no reason to feel any differently.
Looking back now it seems like it was
In retrospect, it seems like it was too good to be true.
Too good to be true
It seemed like our relationship was perfect, but it wasn't meant to last.
How could it be such a good thing has passed?
It's hard to believe that our relationship didn't work out, despite how great it was.
Well, the only one I blame is me
I take responsibility for the downfall of our relationship and blame only myself.
But back then I was much too dumb to see
I was too naive and foolish to see the warning signs that our relationship was failing.
I was young an foolish, an insecure wreck
I was young and immature, lacking confidence in myself and our relationship.
Didn't know what I wanted, I was incorrect
I didn't know what I wanted and made mistakes along the way.
Concealing my feelings and I don't know why
I hid my true feelings from you, unsure of why I did so.
But I don't want to let you go
Even though we're not together anymore, I don't want to let you go completely.
I never want to hear you say goodbye
Saying goodbye to you would be too difficult for me, so I hope we never have to.
You don't know how I feel
You don't fully understand how I feel about you even though I try to express it.
And I can't pretend it's not real
I can't deny how real and strong my feelings for you are.
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Indlyss
...remember all the lyrics after all these years, crazy!
queerstar
Same! I remember air guitaring and singing along to this song on my subway rides. Those CD player days....