Without You

Tobias Jesso Jr's song 'Without You' delves deep into the emotional turmoil of unrequited love. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of someone grappling with the pain of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate their feelings. The opening lines, 'Why can't you just love me? Should I move on or should I wait?' set the tone for the entire song, highlighting the confusion and desperation that often accompany unreturned affection. The singer feels a profound sense of inadequacy, as expressed in the line, 'How'd you get so high above me? I reach higher every day.' This metaphor suggests a significant emotional distance between the two, with the singer striving to bridge the gap but finding it impossible.

The chorus, 'I can hardly breathe without you,' underscores the depth of the singer's dependence on the object of their affection. This line, repeated throughout the song, emphasizes the suffocating nature of their love and the void they feel in the absence of the other person. The lyrics, 'There is no future I want to see without you,' further illustrate the singer's inability to envision a life without their beloved, highlighting the extent to which their identity and sense of purpose are intertwined with this unreciprocated love.

In the second verse, the singer expresses a sense of hopelessness, 'I feel like I just hit the ground,' and a longing to share their perspective with the other person, 'Wish I could show you what it's like.' However, the realization that 'you will never come down' signifies the unlikelihood of the other person ever understanding or reciprocating their feelings. The repetition of 'Oh, what have you got to lose?' in the bridge suggests a plea for the other person to take a chance on love, but it also reflects the singer's own sense of having nothing left to lose. The song concludes with a reiteration of the chorus, driving home the message that life feels empty and meaningless without the presence of the beloved.