I Don't Know How To Love
The Drums Lyrics

The lyrics to The Drums' "I Don't Know How To Love" captures the sense of confusion and hurt that comes with a failed relationship. The opening lines convey a sense of distance between the singer and their lover: "When you're alone and I'm alone / I could touch your hair three months ago / But now it makes you so upset." This juxtaposition of past and present highlights the emotional gap that has risen between them, a gap that has rendered even the most innocuous touch unbearable for one of them.

The chorus, "But you say I don't know how to love / I simply don't understand my life / You can say you don't know," encapsulates the confusion and sense of estrangement even further. The listener isn't clear on who is saying this line - the singer or the lover - which makes it all the more poignant: whoever is speaking, they are clearly feeling misunderstood and ill-equipped to navigate the delicate emotional terrain of the relationship. The repeated refrain of "But you say I don't know how to love / I simply don't understand my life" suggests a kind of despair, as though the two parties are stuck in a cycle of misunderstanding they cannot break out of.

The final lines of the song, "But I remember football in the snow / Everybody's gone home / Why don't you love me anymore," serve as a poignant reminder of the happy times that once existed between the two. The specificity of the memory - playing football in the snow - makes it all the more bittersweet, as though the singer is holding onto a happy moment that is slipping further and further away. Ultimately, the song is a meditation on the pain of a relationship that has gone sour, and the sense of helplessness that comes with it.