I can't make you happy anymore
And it will take less effort to leave
Than carry on with this burden
Of being your joy
And it would be lying to say
That you're still worth it to me
Every word that we've said
Fell so hard at our feet
Every move that we made
This should have been enough
And this fruit hangs so low
It just wants to let go
Oh, it swells with a poison
That used to be love
This used to be love, oh
Small betrayals and these orphaned deeds unattached to love
Are pulling this home, into the ground
And we are in the walls
Your love tastes like blood left from blows you never landed
And all my affection is a swarm of duty and guilt
And this will destroy you and i will stand like a stranger
Who never adored you
So i lay in this bed beside your body
But miles of words and deeds lie in between
And should we brave that space to find each other
We'd have to meet the ghosts of our conceit
(We speak words to calm our ears
That all we loved was never there)
Every word that we've said
Fell so hard at our feet
Every move that we made
This should have been enough
And this fruit hangs so low
It just wants to let go
Oh, it swells with a poison
This used to be love
It should have been enough, oh
Our Little Girl
Our Little Girl Song Meaning, Biblical Reference and Inspiration
"Our Little Girl" by My Epic, with its song video released on July 15, 2023, explores the painful and complex disintegration of a relationship. The lyrics paint a stark picture of love that has curdled into something toxic, where the initial joy and connection have been replaced by burden and detachment. The opening lines immediately establish the speaker's inability to sustain happiness for the other person, finding the effort to leave less taxing than continuing to bear the weight of being their source of joy. This sentiment is underscored by the painful admission that the relationship is no longer seen as "worth it."
The song delves into the history of the relationship's decline, portraying past words and actions not as building blocks but as heavy objects that fell meaninglessly at their feet. The phrase "This should have been enough" reflects a lingering sense of failure or perhaps a questioning of what more could have been done. A potent metaphor emerges with the image of fruit hanging low, ripe for letting go, yet swelling with "poison" that "used to be love." This captures the transformation of something once good and natural into something harmful and corrupted, highlighting how love can decay when not nurtured or when foundational issues fester.
The lyrics further detail the insidious nature of the breakdown through "small betrayals and these orphaned deeds unattached to love," suggesting a pattern of actions lacking genuine affection or intention, which incrementally erode the foundation of the home, pulling it into the ground. The chilling image "we are in the walls" evokes a sense of being trapped within the decaying structure of the relationship, unable to escape the consequences of their actions and inactions. The description of the partner's love tasting like "blood left from blows you never landed" is a powerful, unsettling metaphor for lingering hurt or the potential for damage that wasn't physically manifested but left deep emotional wounds. Conversely, the speaker's own affection is characterized as a "swarm of duty and guilt," revealing a motivation driven by obligation rather than genuine feeling, stripping love of its freedom and joy. This toxic dynamic leads to a chilling prediction of destruction, where the speaker anticipates standing by like a stranger to the one they once adored.
The physical proximity in the bed, contrasted with the "miles of words and deeds" creating emotional distance, emphasizes the profound chasm between them. The idea of bridging this space requires confronting "the ghosts of our conceit," suggesting that pride, self-deception, or ego played a significant role in the relationship's demise and must be faced for any reconciliation, however unlikely. The parenthetical line "We speak words to calm our ears / That all we loved was never there" reveals a desperate attempt to rationalize the pain by denying the past reality of their love, a coping mechanism to make the present dissolution less devastating.
The themes of brokenness, the consequences of unloving actions, and the decay of genuine connection resonate deeply with various biblical perspectives on human relationships and the impact of sin. For instance, James 1:14-15 speaks to how desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death – a reflection of how the "poison" develops from what "used to be love." The idea of words falling hard at their feet could be considered in light of Proverbs 18:21, which states that death and life are in the power of the tongue, suggesting the destructive potential of hurtful or meaningless words. Furthermore, the depiction of affection being driven by duty and guilt rather than genuine love echoes themes found in scripture contrasting legalism or obligation with love motivated by grace and truth, as explored in passages like 1 Corinthians 13 which defines the qualities of true love that is patient, kind, and not self-seeking. The confrontation with "the ghosts of our conceit" aligns with biblical warnings about pride, such as Proverbs 16:18, which states that pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall, highlighting how self-centeredness or ego can be destructive forces in relationships. The song's raw portrayal of relational decay serves as a somber reminder of the fragility of human connection and the devastating consequences when love is corrupted by neglect, duty, and the weight of unaddressed issues and concealed pride.