Authoring & Playwriting

I should say at the outset that these are my own interpretations of this song and its music video. I've tried to look at the lyrics and the video from different angles; these different angles are exactly what gave me three distinct readings: one, the liar; another, the bad-but-brave character; and another, the passive character. But there's no requirement or guarantee that my reading is one hundred percent right or one hundred percent wrong. Someone else could have a completely different interpretation, and that wouldn't make them wrong and me right. Rumi puts it well: "Everyone became my friend according to their own surmise." Or, if we want to borrow from a more modern theory, Roland Barthes' "death of the author" says much the same thing. In this post, we'll take on the liar character.

The Liar

If we say the narrator of this song is a liar trying to keep the relationship alive through deception, there's evidence in both the lyrics and the music video that supports this.

1. A Question, a Lie, and a Justification

Don't you know I'm no good for you?

I've learned to lose you, can't afford to.

Tore my shirt to stop you bleeding

The narrator opens the song by insisting: "Don't you know I'm no good for you?" This is phrased as a question, but in English grammar this kind of question is called a rhetorical question — it only wears the mask of a question, while its real function is emphasis. So the narrator knows this relationship isn't healthy and that it should end. But the cost of ending it feels too heavy to bear ("I've learned to lose you, can't afford to"), so she starts lying to herself instead. And she tells this lie in an environment where lying to yourself is easier: alone, in a room (a nod to the music video). In moments like this, the human brain starts justifying even a wrong action — and being alone makes that justification-building easier. One of these justifications might be the very line she sings: "Tore my shirt to stop you bleeding." This line could be a justification for continuing the relationship — the moment where she tells herself: I've sacrificed so much for this relationship, so I have to keep it going no matter what.

2.Confessions

But nothing ever stops you leaving.

I'll only hurt you, if you let me.

Here the narrator makes two confessions. First: "But nothing ever stops you leaving" — she knows that, in the end, this relationship's fate is separation, and this confession also shows that, with full awareness of the present and future, she keeps on lying to herself anyway. I don't mean there's such a thing as a "conscious lie"; I mean that her continuing this lie is what's conscious. She knows that if she keeps this relationship alive through deception instead of ending it, things will eventually spiral out of her control, and the relationship will end in separation regardless. Through this, she lies to herself — which, to me, is one of the most destructive kinds of lies — and she's also lying to and hurting her partner: "I'll only hurt you, if you let me." I won't get into how she justifies this to her partner, framing it as if the hurt only happens because he let her; what matters is that she knows the relationship's fate is separation and that she should end it, yet she keeps lying, hurting both herself and her partner.

3.Hair Color

Stepping outside the lyrics for a moment, let's look at a visual cue in the music video itself. One piece of evidence for this character's poor emotional state can be seen in the video: viewed from a distance, her hair reads as a dark blue, a shade that signals grief, sorrow, and even loneliness. The question worth asking the narrator is this: if you're in a relationship where, despite having a partner, you still feel alone, why do you keep trying to hold on to it? (Of course, by the end of the song she does recognize her mistake — but before that, she's already entered the collapse stage.)

4. The Self-Deception

Back to the lyrics, to the line "Call me friend, but keep me closer." This line can be read as self-deception. The narrator is making a contradiction feel acceptable: she wants a relationship that carries the label of friendship — without commitment or responsibility — while also keeping the closeness and intimacy of a real relationship. Given what we now know of this character, she does this consciously, because she's afraid of paying the cost — the cost of ending the relationship, or the cost of a real relationship, whose bare minimum is commitment and responsibility.

5. The Beginning of the Collapse

Now we move from the lyrics to the music video, to the exact moment of deciding to drink the black liquid, between seconds 35 and 45 of the video. This is where the collapse stage begins — not the moment she drinks it. Let's look at the moment just before she drinks it: between seconds 35 and 45, she wrestles with herself over whether to drink it or not. This wrestling shows that lying isn't easy for this character — it costs her something — unlike many people, for whom lying comes very easily. And if you look closely, exactly at the moment she sings "nothing ever stops you leaving" (seconds 45 to 50), out of fear of that very loss, she resolves to drink the black liquid — telling another lie, but a big one.

6. Collapse, and the Confession That the Relationship Must End

But nothing is better, sometimes.

Once we've both said our goodbyes,

Let's just let it go.

Let me let you go.

Drinking the black liquid is the catalyst for the collapse stage. Early in this stage, the narrator feels the weight of the lies she's told (minutes 1:50 to 2:14 of the video), and she confesses: "But nothing is better, sometimes." And she ends the relationship: "Let's just let it go. Let me let you go." But in my view, because relationships kept alive through lies tend to be so damaging, this collapse could be a large one. Ending the relationship doesn't erase the effects of the lies that came before; the damage can linger long after the relationship itself is over. Of course, this depends on the person: if someone owns their mistakes and tries not to repeat them, you can imagine a real fresh start; but if they keep justifying what they did, starting over becomes much harder

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A personal note, separate from the character analysis, with no reference to the lyrics or the video: I'm not a therapist or a psychologist — I'm only speaking from my own experience. If you're in a situation like this, I first wish you happiness, and then I'd genuinely encourage you to talk to a therapist about it.

And one more note, also outside the main analysis: up to this point, I've more or less condemned this character for choosing to keep the relationship alive through lies — but maybe what she did came from too much love. Look at what she gave for this relationship: sacrifice, and even choosing to lie just to hold on to it — something that wrestled with her every single time before she went through with it (seconds 35 to 45), and that clearly wasn't easy for her — something that hurt her too. Even the hurt she caused her partner could have been unconscious, not out of malice or ill intent. Some people are simply like that; they don't change much, and they need to be understood rather than judged. I did emphasize that this character lied consciously, but choosing to lie consciously doesn't mean the intention was bad — it can come from a fear of loss, and from love, not from a desire to take advantage. If you get the chance, I'd suggest watching the music video again with this lens on the character — especially the section between 1:50 and 2:14, where you can see exactly what kind of pain she's carrying, which Billie captures so well. finish. The “Bad but Brave Character” post will be published next week, on August 22nd. by the way — I'm a writer, and I write music video concepts for songs, including a different one I wrote for this very song's video. If you're an artist looking for a music video idea, I might be able to help. (ms21121221@gmail.com)

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Building Character...

We all go through changes. I’m not the same person after some of my past military experiences. It’s been six years since my daughter Randie’s passing, and no doubt, this has impacted my life greatly. I miss our long, heart-to-heart talks about anything and everything. Noticeably, my writings have certainly changed over the past few years, and I would like to share with you some of my storytelling lessons.

Hands down, one of the most important aspects of storytelling is character development. Were there any changes in your main character’s life? If so, how did these changes influenced your character’s outlook? In real life, none of us are the same as we were a few years ago. Your characters are no different. In telling your story be sure to show your character’s growth. And equally essential, make sure none of your characters sound the same. We each have our unique way of expressing ourselves. No two characters in your story should ever sound the same. As writers, we run the risk of confusing the reader if we don’t distinguish one character from the next.

I wish you continued success in whatever you’re pursuing. Don’t ever give up and keep climbing that ladder! – Randolph Randy Camp

I recently had the pleasure of working with Ethan Tyler on the cover design for his book, Waiting Without Breaking. I really enjoyed bringing his vision to life and creating a cover that reflects the heart and message of his book.

If you’re an author working on a new book and need a professional book cover design, I’d be happy to help bring your idea to life.

If you like the cover I created for Ethan or you’re currently looking for someone to design your book cover, feel free to send me a message. I’d love to hear about your project and see how I can help.