Nothing Was Stolen

Phosphorescent's song 'Nothing Was Stolen' is a poetic exploration of love's delicate balance between recklessness and care. The lyrics, delivered in a tender and almost confessional tone, suggest a relationship where mistakes are made, but nothing of true value is lost. The repeated lines, 'apart from the things I touched, nothing got broke all that much,' and 'apart from the things I took, nothing got stolen,' imply a sense of minor transgressions that do not ultimately harm the core of the relationship. This can be seen as a metaphor for the small, everyday mistakes that lovers make, which are forgivable and do not diminish the love they share.

The imagery of the morning routine, where the narrator dresses and hangs a charm of gold around their neck, sipping from a silver cup, adds a layer of ritual and superstition to the narrative. These actions seem to be performed for good luck, as the narrator sings, 'I sing these words for good luck.' This suggests that love, like life, requires a bit of faith and ritual to navigate its uncertainties. The charm and the silver cup symbolize the small tokens and habits that people hold onto for comfort and assurance in their relationships.

The song's refrain, 'Love me foolishly, love me foolish-like,' is a plea for unconditional and perhaps irrational love. It acknowledges that love often involves a degree of foolishness, a willingness to overlook flaws and mistakes. This refrain is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of accepting and loving someone despite their imperfections. The narrator's actions, such as crawling into the lover's window to wake her up, further illustrate this theme of loving with abandon and without fear of judgment. In essence, 'Nothing Was Stolen' celebrates the idea that true love is resilient and can withstand the minor missteps that come with being human.