Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Stars Lyrics


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"When there's nothing left to burn
You have to set yourself on fire"

God that was strange to see you again
Introduced by a friend of a friend
Smiled and said, "Yes, I think we've met before"
In that instant it started to pour
Captured a taxi despite all the rain
We drove in silence across Pont Champlain
And all of the time you thought I was sad
I was trying to remember your name

This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin
Tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in
Now you're outside me
You see all the beauty
Repent all your sin

It's nothing but time and a face that you lose
I chose to feel it and you couldn't choose
I'll write you a postcard
I'll send you the news
From a house down the road from real love

Live through this, and you won't look back
Live through this, and you won't look back
Live through this, and you won't look back

There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave
You were what I wanted
I gave what I gave
I'm not sorry I met you
I'm not sorry it's over
I'm not sorry there's nothing to say





I'm not sorry there's nothing to save

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Stars’s song Your Ex-Lover Is Dead are a reflection on the end of a relationship and the emotions that follow. The opening lines, “When there's nothing left to burn / You have to set yourself on fire”, suggest a sense of desperation and the realization that sometimes you have to let go of the past to move on. The second verse describes the awkwardness of seeing an ex-lover for the first time after a breakup, and the conflicting emotions that arise. The imagery of driving in silence across Pont Champlain in the pouring rain, with the singer trying to remember the ex-lover’s name, creates a sense of emotional distance.


The third verse seems to describe the emotional aftermath of the breakup, with the singer trying to move on and find beauty in life outside of the relationship. The lines “This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin / Tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in / Now you're outside me / You see all the beauty / Repent all your sin” suggest that the singer has been hurt by the relationship, but has now found a sense of peace and regained control of their life. The final verse is a powerful assertion of self-worth, with the singer stating that they have no regrets and nothing left to say or save.


Overall, the lyrics of Your Ex-Lover Is Dead explore the complex emotions of a failed relationship, with a sense of finality and a moving on towards a brighter future.


Line by Line Meaning

When there's nothing left to burn
When you have exhausted all options


You have to set yourself on fire
You must take drastic measures to achieve your goal


God that was strange to see you again
It was surreal to encounter you once more


Introduced by a friend of a friend
We were acquainted through mutual connections


Smiled and said, "Yes, I think we've met before"
We acknowledged the fact that we had crossed paths previously


In that instant it started to pour
It began to rain heavily at that exact moment


Captured a taxi despite all the rain
We managed to get a taxi despite the heavy downpour


We drove in silence across Pont Champlain
We traveled across Pont Champlain without speaking


And all of the time you thought I was sad
You assumed I was upset the whole time


I was trying to remember your name
I was struggling to recall your name


This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin
This scar is a minor blemish on my flawless skin


Tried to reach deep but you couldn't get in
You attempted to connect with me but were unsuccessful


Now you're outside me
You are no longer a part of my life


You see all the beauty
You can now appreciate my true worth


Repent all your sin
Regret your past mistakes


It's nothing but time and a face that you lose
In the end, all you lose is time and your looks


I chose to feel it and you couldn't choose
I decided to confront my emotions while you were unable to do so


I'll write you a postcard
I will update you through a postcard


I'll send you the news
I will let you know what's happening


From a house down the road from real love
I am living in a place far from true affection


Live through this, and you won't look back
Endure this experience, and you will not regret it


There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave
I'm going to be courageous and express one thing


You were what I wanted
You were everything I desired


I gave what I gave
I offered what I could


I'm not sorry I met you
I do not regret meeting you


I'm not sorry it's over
I do not regret that it has ended


I'm not sorry there's nothing to say
I do not regret that there is no need for words


I'm not sorry there's nothing to save
I am not sorry that there is nothing worth salvaging




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Amy E Millan, Christopher Allen Seligman, Evan Whitney Cranley, Patrick McGee, Torquil John Campbell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@kjatlas8671

When I was 16 years old I saw Stars live at the Cat's Cradle. It was profound, but it's not until now, eight years later, that these lyrics leave tingles on my skin. I stayed at a friend's house that night and I don't remember it a bit, probably because the very next day, my life would never be the same again. I was going through a dark time and was in a toxic relationship with a drug-addicted teenage boy. I had an Adderall prescription and he begged me to give him some. Being the insecure and codependent teenager that I was, I agreed. He sold them on the school bus. The next day I was in third-period math class chatting with my best friend and the assistant principal pulled me from class and nothing was ever the same.

I never went back to math class. I never went back to that school. I was a straight-A student going to jail with a felony at 16 for distributing a controlled substance. I lost every single one of my friends and my first love. I was sure my life was over. I ended up going to a school for delinquents, which brought my life to another level of darkness that I never imagined possible, but still, I prevailed. I was sexually assaulted, date r*ped, but I felt lucky that I was able to graduate high school a year earlier at this school due to my credit amount.

Then I got into college! A miracle considering my past. I thought I was beginning to turn the page, but then I developed a serious autoimmune disease from the stress of it all, causing me to gain a significant amount of weight and had to drop out of college. A year off at home and my friends were my mom's friends who took me into their crew (yes, it's weird).

At the time, I wanted to die. I thought I must set myself on fire...looking back it's just a fleck on my porcelain skin. I lived through this and I won't look back. I left my tiny town, fell in real love, and started my own business a couple of years ago that's going really well.

If you read this far, you might be going through the hardest time in your life, but I promise there will always be a silver lining. Beautiful things come from the darkest time. Love to you all.



@kooplings1199

This was my boyfriend's favourite song. He fell and hit his head which lead to his death. I can hear his voice singing each lyric. When we all said our final goodbye, we played this song and I held onto his feet hoping he'd wake up when he heard 'live through this, and you won't look back...' we watched his final breath to this.  

We were neighbours. We'd hope a fence to get to each other. The last time I saw him alive, we spent the night together, haha 'lazy lovins'. We sang 'Tribute' by Tenacious D while I got ready in the mirror together. I made breakfast and danced, he pulled me into his arms and told me to eat- knowing I was behind. I (ofc) was running late for my bus that morning. He unlocked his bike, tried to 'scare' me and proceeded to flag down that bus. I thanked and kissed him. He kissed me back and said 'I love you, and I'll catch you later kid' then gave me a love tap. I smiled and turned to him to savour that moment.

The bus driver called him a nice boy, and I smiled and thought back to my parents. That's how they met.

My mom was running late for school, my dad saw her then biked up to the bus and my mom got on... she fell for him in that moment and eventually crossed paths again.

I spent NYE in Montreal, I couldn't get this song out of my head. I wished he was with me whenever I looked up to Pont Champlain. 


Our streets of parkdale, toronto are covered with ghosts. I never get to bike with him into heavy traffic or sit on his porch drinking a warm Turborg with a cigarette in hand. No one will ever get to hear his funny fuckin jokes.

So this song reminds me of a lot. I miss him every day. I look at his collection of books. They haunt me like the notes of this song.

Joshua Pamplin, I didn't get to love you long enough. I will always miss you and your profoundly poetic ways. Come visit me sometime? Please.



All comments from YouTube:

@ThioJoe

Good song

@noodlegirl55

"I'm not sorry I met you, I'm not sorry it's over. I'm not sorry there's nothing to say" this. this. this. this song is too relatable

@aleonne2148

lmao like you've ever even touched a woman.

@Apollo-it8ml

@@aleonne2148 does it make you feel better about yourself to go online and be mean for no reason? what do you gain from this? you genuinely confuse me

@juliebraden6911

@@Apollo-it8ml three years after the original comment too lol

@inkspooky7244

@@Apollo-it8ml dayum lol

@randomdude189

I just wish it was a better song

1 More Replies...

@kchang4364

After so many years, this song still makes me want to be in my early 20s again and feel that hopelessness one feels in youth after an earth-devouring love is lost, but in a sort of beautiful and way, where you know it’s for the best and are at peace.

@OlYables

Spot-freaking on.

@danieljudin3950

Woah. Im not at all at peace. But I know it's for the best

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