Ani DiFranco: Falling Is Like This Meaning

Falling Is Like This Lyrics

You give me that look that's like laughing
with liquid in your mouth
like you're choosing between choking
and spitting it all out
like you're trying to fight gravity
on a planet that insists
that love is like falling
and falling is like...

1. anonymous

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   Feb 17th 2009 !⃝

   It's a song about two friends falling in love, although they know and everybody's told them that it's not going to end well. Even so, it's not like they can help it, they can't "not fall in love", because they have no control over it. Besides, it's not like they made any effort to prevent it:
   "You give me that look that is like laughing
   With liquid in your mouth
   Like you're choosing between choking and
   Spilling it all out"
   [Her friend looks at her and she can see he/she is trying to make up their minds whether or not to tell her something. She can see from the look that it's something big, because if they don't tell her it will remaining inside like a lump in their throats -choking them. So it's like laughing while drinking something: you can either spill it out or choke on it, but the outcomes are all not so good either way.]
   
   "Like you're trying to fight gravity
   In a planet that insists
   That love is like falling and
   Falling is like this"
   [She realizes what he/she's got to say - that they are falling for her - and thinks it's like her friend is fighting a losing battle - who can overcome the force of gravity, anyway? And she is sure that on this planet, falling in love is like falling down - you can't help it once you've started. Maybe all there is to do is hope for a safe landing.]
   
   "Feels like reckless driving when we're talking
   It's fun while it lasts and it's faster than walking
   But no-one going to sympathize when we crash
   They'll say, 'you hit what you head for',
   'You get what you ask'"
   [When the two of them talk, she feels this thrill, like driving fast and recklessly. Because it's fun, and she feels really good and maybe even free - although she does know just where their "innocent" talk is going, she just doesn't want to admit it and cut the fun and momentary happiness. Again she says that everyone warned them it was not a good idea and she knows those people will say 'I told you so' when they come out hurt from their fun.]
   
   "And we'll say we didn't know
   No, we didn't even try
   One minute there was road beneath us
   The next there was sky"
   [When it ends in heartbreak, she knows they'll both say they didn't see it coming, but she knows that the truth is they didn't even make an effort to walk away. She thinks they'll just say it happened all of a sudden: everything was ok and then suddenly the relationship fell apart - like a car turning over in a crash.]
   
   "I'm sorry I can't help you
   I cannot keep you safe
   I'm sorry I can't help myself
   So don't look at me that way"
   [She apologizes because she can't prevent him from the inevitable heartbreak that is bound to hit them both, and she also can't stop herself from wanting to be with him, so she asks him to understand her.]
   
   "We can't fight gravity on a planet that insists
   That love is like falling
   And falling is like this."
   [She explains to him that, even if they both know what the outcome will be, it's like like they have the power to do anything besides fall in love.
   'Falling is like this' could mean that they already are falling in love and also heading for a fall, but also that that's how it happens to everyone else.]

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