That Damn I Didn't Give
Waterloo Revival Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I said leave then,
Here's your keys
If your done with me
Girl you'll need 'em
And I thought I believed it
Cause in that moment
I was scared just a little too proud to show it
Didn't know I'd thrown it all away

Until seeing you here with him talking laughing
Sparkle back in your eyes
Girl you're acting
Like you don't have a care in the world
And then all of the sudden my jaw drops open
Before I know it the word's coming off of my lips
Oh man there it is,
That damn I didn't give

I'd forgotten,
How soft your lips were
Til I saw them
Kissing somebody else
To think I had ya
And let you walk away
Cause I got mad yeah
But girl it didn't matter

Until seeing you here with him talking laughing
Sparkle back in your eyes
Girl you're acting
Like you don't have a care in the world
And then all of the sudden my jaw drops open
Before I know it the word's coming off of my lips
Oh man there it is,
That damn I didn't give

I said leave then,
Here's your keys
If you're done with me
Girl you'll need ‘em
And I thought I believed it
Damn

Until seeing you here with him talking laughing
Sparkle back in your eyes
Girl you're acting
Like you don't have a care in the world
And then all of the sudden my jaw drops open
Before I know it the word's coming off of my lips
Oh man there it is

That damn I didn't give
Oh, that damn I didn't give

Overall Meaning

The song "That Damn I Didn't Give" by Waterloo Revival is about regret and missed opportunities in love. The singer is reflecting on a past relationship that ended because of his own mistakes. At first, he appears to be confident that he made the right choice in letting his partner go, telling her to take her keys and leave. However, when he sees her with another man and realizes what he's lost, he admits to himself that he didn't give enough effort to keep her.

The lyrics are full of imagery that reinforces the theme of regret. When the singer sees his ex-girlfriend with another man, he can't help but notice her "sparkle back in her eyes" and how she appears carefree. This highlights the contrast with his own state of mind, which is characterized by regret and self-blame. He realizes that he had taken her for granted, forgetting how "soft her lips were" and the value of the love they had shared.

The use of the phrase "that damn I didn't give" drives home the idea of the missed opportunity. The singer recognizes that he could have done more to make the relationship work, but he didn't. The word "damn" adds an element of frustration and self-recrimination, suggesting that the singer is angry at himself for letting the opportunity slip away.

Line by Line Meaning

I said leave then,
I told you to go away,

Here's your keys
Here are the keys to your vehicle,

If your done with me
If you don't want to be with me anymore,

Girl you'll need 'em
You will need the keys,

And I thought I believed it
I thought I meant what I said and wanted you to leave,

Cause in that moment
At that time,

I was scared just a little too proud to show it
I was afraid, but didn't want to show it because of my pride,

Didn't know I'd thrown it all away
I didn't realize I had lost everything,

Until seeing you here with him talking laughing
I didn't realize what I had lost until I saw you with another man,

Sparkle back in your eyes
I see the same light in your eyes that I used to see when we were together,

Girl you're acting
You are behaving,