Back Again
The Correspondents Lyrics

I was told to return when my heart had been broken as if I was lacking a qualification
Someone advised me to come back to you only when I had suffered heartbreak and underwent a tough time as if that's a necessary requirement for our relationship to work.

I realised as soon as I'd gone on my way you cracked it like a nut and I wanted to stay
I left you, but soon realized that you were the one cracking under pressure, and I wanted to be back with you.

In your hands I feel like a wind-up toy, walking with a moulded face of frozen joy
With you, I feel like a toy that can be controlled, and I put on a fake smile to hide my true emotions.

You wind me up, turn me to face the table's edge, I fall down just as you make your pledge
You manipulate and control me, pushing me to the brink until I fall, all while making promises to keep me around.

But what did you say, you said? And why did you do what you've done?
I'm confused about what you said because it contradicts your actions.

One minute we're laughing in bed, the next an ultimatum
One moment we're happy together, but then you give me an ultimatum, putting pressure on our relationship.

So now I have passed your test, three weeks in a total mess, can I come back again?
After going through your test and being a complete wreck for three weeks, can I come back to you?

Love is a game you play, you've won, well done, can I come back again?
You treat love like a game, and you've won by making me work to be with you, but can I come back again?

You want to see me in a state over you, as if raw eyes confirm that my feelings are true
You want me to be visibly upset over you because you think it confirms that I truly care for you.

And you won't believe my adoration if it's simply said, so like a frog pawed by a cat, I play dead
You don't believe that I truly love you if I just say it, so I act like I don't care to make you want me more.

It's not as though you leave me be, you're always checking up on me
You never leave me alone and constantly check up on me, showing that you're insecure in our relationship.

Calling friends and family who tell me you're turning back, but they could hear it in your voice that something was about to crack
You try to check up on me through my friends and family, but they can tell that you're not completely stable and our relationship is on the verge of falling apart.

Maybe you are not as in control as you let on, there's a genuine fear that I might move on
You may not have as much control over our relationship as you claim, and that makes you afraid that I might leave you.

Thoughts in my head are rearranged, the game starts to change, can I come back again?
My thoughts are changing, and I'm realizing that the game you're playing isn't sustainable, so can I come back to you?

You play the tough one, when all along you're hoping that I won't run
You try to act tough, but deep down, you're afraid that I'll leave you.

So I set a plan in place, I tell my friends and family to pass on the news, that I've swept away the blues and found a new girl to chase
To make you see what you could lose, I pretend to have found someone new and encourage my friends and family to spread the news.

Events are then relayed, I hear nothing from you for five days, so I assume that we've gone our separate ways
My strategy seems to have worked, and I don't hear from you for five days, so I assume that our relationship is over.

Then silence is broken with a message which says: I wanted to know if you could break my heart
You finally reach out with a message admitting that you wanted to test my feelings for you by seeing if I'd pretend to move on.

So we know where we both stand right from the start, you don't know what you've got until you've given it away, can I come back again?
Your message reveals that we were both playing games, and now we can start over with honesty, so can I come back to you?

Love is a game you play, you've won, well done, can I come back again?
Even though you won the game, can I still come back to you?