Is Love
White Lies Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

She stares into the mirror
Youth fading with the sun
The hollows in her face
Like wishing wells
Scarlet as a papercut
And jewelled as the Orion
She'd never worn that jewellery as a girl
She says 'the only thing I've ever found
That's greater than it always sounds
Is love'

He stares into the river
Heart falling to the drift
An argument of cars
Moving full steam behind
Blood-shot as a baby
And sulking like a valley
Fishing in reflections, killing time

He says 'the only thing I've ever found
That's greater than it always sounds
Is love'

It's the bath that's getting cold while you're frozen to your bed
The milk that's going rancid on the table
The panic in the evening, the photos in the dustbin, the pointless items we forgot to label
It's the perfume on her wrist, that stinks of easy birthdays
The spare keys like asbestos on the side
It's the cross around his neck, for luck and not for honour
Like diamond over knuckle on a newly married bride

She says 'the only thing I've ever found
That's greater than it always sounds
Is love'

He says 'the only thing I've ever found
That's greater than it always sounds
Is love'

I know the only thing I've ever found




That's greater than it always sounds
Is love

Overall Meaning

The song "Is Love" by White Lies tells a story of two individuals who find solace and meaning in the concept of love amidst the challenges of life. The lyrics depict a woman staring at herself in the mirror and lamenting the signs of aging, while a man spends his time fishing and trying to escape from reality by staring at the river. Both feel lost and disconnected from the world around them, but recognize that love is the one thing that has the power to transform their lives.


The song's poetic language and vivid imagery create a sense of nostalgia and longing for the simplicity of the past. The "hollows in her face" and the "scarlet as a papercut" suggest a sense of fragility and vulnerability, while the "jewelled as the Orion" symbolizes the beauty that can still exist in the midst of struggle. The man's blood-shot eyes and sulking demeanor reflect his emotional instability, but the metaphor of "fishing in reflections" suggests that he is seeking a way out of his predicament.


The repetition of the line "the only thing I've ever found that's greater than it always sounds is love" underscores the message of the song and highlights the transformative power of love. Despite the challenges and uncertainties of life, love has the capacity to bring meaning and purpose to our existence.


Line by Line Meaning

She stares into the mirror
A woman gazes upon herself in the mirror


Youth fading with the sun
Her youth is diminishing with time


The hollows in her face
Sunken and tired areas on her face


Like wishing wells
Those sunken areas on her face resemble a wishing well


Scarlet as a papercut
The sunken areas are red and tender like a papercut


And jewelled as the Orion
Those red areas are dazzling, like the constellation Orion


She'd never worn that jewellery as a girl
The woman had never worn that kind of jewelry when she was younger


She says 'the only thing I've ever found That's greater than it always sounds Is love'
The woman believes that love is the most valuable thing she's ever encountered


He stares into the river
A man looks into the river


Heart falling to the drift
Heartsick and listless


An argument of cars
A noisy and chaotic traffic situation


Moving full steam behind
Cars are moving at full throttle behind him


Blood-shot as a baby
His eyes are red from fatigue and crying


And sulking like a valley
He's down in the dumps, like a valley is lower than the surrounding peaks


Fishing in reflections, killing time
The man is wasting time by pondering his own reflection in the water


He says 'the only thing I've ever found That's greater than it always sounds Is love'
The man believes that love is the most valuable thing he's ever encountered


It's the bath that's getting cold while you're frozen to your bed
People become numb and bedridden while the bath water gets cold


The milk that's going rancid on the table
Milk is spoiling on the table


The panic in the evening, the photos in the dustbin, the pointless items we forgot to label
Anxious evenings, discarded photos, and unlabeled possessions are all examples of life's mundane but overwhelming details that get lost in the shuffle


It's the perfume on her wrist, that stinks of easy birthdays
A sickly-sweet scent that carries memories of carefree youth


The spare keys like asbestos on the side
Spare keys that are forgotten and dusty


It's the cross around his neck, for luck and not for honour
A cross worn as a superstition rather than for religious devotion


Like diamond over knuckle on a newly married bride
The cross is worn like a wedding band on a bride's hand


She says 'the only thing I've ever found That's greater than it always sounds Is love'
The woman believes that love is the most valuable thing she's ever encountered


He says 'the only thing I've ever found That's greater than it always sounds Is love'
The man believes that love is the most valuable thing he's ever encountered


I know the only thing I've ever found That's greater than it always sounds Is love
The singer concludes that love is the most valuable thing they've ever experienced




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHARLES CAVE, HARRY MCVEIGH, JACK BROWN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

YouVadar

The song has a way of keeping you glued to a certain emotion, can't explain it but I sure as hell like it.

Joshua Sweetvale

Devotion.
The emotion you're experiencing is devotion.

FancyPaoh

Amo esta canción, es excelente para manejar 

Job Sebastián

this band sounds like other good bands.. if you know what i mean... is perfect.

JHON JAIRO VASQUEZ SANCHEZ

Entre los inicios de Tears For Fears o Ultravox con drum and bass. Great Song

Jasmine Surreal

Reminds me of Snow White with the wicked stepmother her old pointed features and hollow cheeks looking in the mirror. Very clever, classic gothic and original lyrics. Great tune. I like the artwork of the cover of Ritual with the gorgeous twins, a ritual of repeat.

CAMINORNR

I love this song. Period.

ian tate

very good track

Johnny Riz

Fantastic stuff...very compelling.

Andrej Kompara

this song must have a success! is older but is something good!

More Comments

More Versions