#faith in the future intepretation

[caralara]

Chicago - a close reading & interpretation

This is my very personal interpretation of Chicago, content warning: babygate, Douis & stunting. Here you can find all my other close readings & interpretations of Faith In The Future I’ve written so far.

Close reading of the lyrics:

I saw you had a baby

Interestingly Louis starts the song with a line about a baby - after we speculated from the beginning this song might be connected to babygate. He is talking to someone he used to know quite well and spent time with, but now only “saw” that they went through a major life event, and therefore are not close anymore. 

Did you use any of the names we liked?

The person Louis is singing to was someone Louis felt comfortable enough with to discuss names for hypothetical children. What seems odd is that he assumes they would consider using one of the names the two of them came up with for their current relationship’s baby - not necessarily something you would do if Louis is an ex-partner in the romantic sense in this scenario.

And is your brother doing ok? Is he still getting out of fights?

He is bringing in more information to identify the person he is singing about, the person has a brother, which Louis witnessed not only getting into but also out of a lot of fights. He also cares about the brother, asking about how he is doing - it seems Louis has spent some time with him as well.

I’m sorry that your mum don’t like me, I’m sorry that I brought that on myself

He is saying that the person’s mum not only didn’t like him in the past, but still does to this day, and more importantly, that he brought this on himself. Was he simply rude to her? Or did he do something more profound that made her dislike him to this day ? He seems to be sorry about that. Does this mean he sort of understands why she dislikes him? That he is still doing what the mother disliked him for? That he feels sorry that he is doing that?

They say bitter ends turn sweet in time 

Another End mention here, hmmm. He is saying he and potentially the other people involved in this, like “you,” were bitter about it ending back then. Why would both be bitter about this? Is the bitterness stemming from frustration? And then he tacks on, that eventually, the bitterness turns sweet, very importantly, with time. Is he saying that because time goes on, the bitterness will fade? Or does something need to change, shift for the bitterness to turn sweet?

Is that true of yours and mine?

He is asking the person, if this also applies to their situation, if the person is feeling the same way about it how he feels now.

Cos if you’re lonely in Chicago, you can call me baby

And then he goes and reaches out to them - respectfully - and putting the ball in their court, stating he’d be okay if they called him up again, to meet up, talk? If they’re lonely? He just said they just had a baby, wouldn’t one assume they don’t really feel lonely at the moment, romance wise? They either are in a committed relationship with the other parent of the baby, and/or have the baby on their mind, not really booty calling their ex? He is specifying they’re in Chicago, and because Louis obviously isn’t always in Chicago, supplying another identifier to who this person might be. He calls them “baby” at the end of the line, a term of affection: he feels positively about them, still, to this day.

Has it been long enough that you can forgive me?

Another identifier, as to when this happened - long enough ago that he considers it possible for the person to have gotten over it. Probably more than a year, but from the tone of it, it is more likely several years - they had a relationship become this serious that they had a baby in the meantime. In the same breath, he is asking for forgiveness - did they blame him for the situation? Did they regret the situation back then?

Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it’s meaningless to me

Now he is saying that “it” didn’t work - what is it? The relationship? Or the situation they found themselves in? He says that no matter what - being with this person during that time is far from meaningless to him. He is expressing, that even though it might have gone wrong, overall he still appreciates them and the time spent together.

It just wasn’t meant to be

This sentence is basically “it is what it is” in a different font - now, looking back, he gave up on questioning why it didn’t work out, but accepted it as out of his control.

Have you seen how my life’s been going?

Now he is asking the person if they’ve been keeping up with what he’s been doing. Did they follow his career, and his choices, and the tabloids talking about him? Is he asking if they have seen he’s now suddenly talking a lot about his son, another baby in the mix?

Cos i’ve been wondering what you’d say

Apparantly, this person’s opinion seems to be important to him, especially in regards to his actions in recent times. Is he drawing parallels from back then to now? Back then, the person was involved, and now, Louis deems them to be qualified to make a judgement of the current events.

Would you have told me to keep going, or would you say to walk away?

So this seems to be a hypothetical question about a time between them parting ways and now - it is a little bit in the past. Speculating, it could be about the beginning of the “recent” years he’s asked them about just before. He seems to value their opinion, and missed their advice. It seems he stood in front of a decision, either to go through with something hard, or to leave it all be and walk away.

You always made me feel much better, and I’ll always be grateful for that

Back then, this person gave Louis some relief in the situation, helping him get through it and feel better, and to this and into the future he will be grateful for that. So even though they were going through something tough, this person offered comfort to Louis.

I didn’t have to search cos I still know your number

he isn’t even saying that he still has their number saved, but that he still knows their number - did he call them so often during that time that he would know it by heart? Is it a certificate of how much they talked, and how close they really were?

I bet that you didn’t think that I’d remember

Now he is guessing that they didn’t think he would remember (the number? them?) - maybe he is expressing that he thinks that it seems like they think he doesn’t like them - maybe he is trying to say “look, I know you think I dislike you or don’t want to think about you because I connect this difficult time with you, but I do - you were important to me, and no, i don’t dislike you, and no, I am not disinterested in you.”

It just wasn’t meant to be, no, it just wasn’t meant to be, it just wasn’t meant to be

Then he repeats that it simply wasn’t meant to be - their relationship or what they were going through for - over and over again, almost like a mantra, like something he had to make himself believe, a state of mind, just like “it is what it is” is.

I didn’t have to search cos i still know your number, I bet sometimes you still like to wear my jumper

contrary to the one before this one, where he guesses they think he might dislike them, here now he is expressing he thinks they still like Louis, or at least have a soft spot for him - and even mentions clothes sharing, they are wearing his jumper - where do we know this from? Stunting in the 1D-Universe always includes wearing each other’s clothes, because it’s, as always, a cheap copy of the real thing: the boys all sharing their clothes from the very start. Is this a nod, a hint, to connect this to stunting? 

Just because it didn’t work, doesn’t mean it’s meaningless to me, it just wasn’t meant to be

 He ends on the repetition of “it didn’t work but it still meant something to me, it is what it is” which is summing up the situation he’s finding himself in now: looking back at the situation, having made his peace with what went wrong, and telling the other involved person that he still cares about them, and that he appreciates them for being there for him back in the day.

Personal interpretation:

Let’s start with the title: Chicago. What comes to mind in connection to Louis? Yes, that very wild and weird time at the end of 2015, where suddenly, amidst all the baby and engagement rumours to Briana, Louis suddenly went public with a steady girlfriend: Danielle Campbell. And because Danielle Campbell is from Chicago, and her family lives there, Louis spent a lot of time there between end of 2015 and end of 2016. He also got the infamous bum tattoo there with Danielle’s brother on a night out, as well as the 28 knuckle tattoos. People in the fandom often are scared to look into the Douis relationship, because - in contrast to Elounor - they actually seemed quite comfortable with each other. Danielle was, in my opinion, the only beard / PR girlfriend Louis chose himself. There were rumours about him holding “auditions” with at least Alycia Debnam-Carey and Danielle Campbell. Speculations are that Louis installed her as a safety net to not get dragged further into the babygate drama by management/pr company and the fame hungry trash family, meaning Danielle was by Louis’ side all the way through the first year of Freddie’s life, there are several photos of her with Louis and the kid. So Chicago is synonymous with Louis spending time with Danielle and her brother and being in the midst of the babygate chaos. 

Another link could be the musical Chicago: we know Louis loves musicals (Grease made him audition for the X-Factor in the first place!) and Chicago is a 1975 American jazz musical by Bob Fosse, the original production opened in 1975 and ran for a total of 936 performanences (lol) - it is the second most performed musical ever. It is about a woman,who’s being sent to a woman’s prison in the 1920ies for having murdered her lover, who promised her stardom in the showbiz, but never delivered. In order to regain her celebrity status and increase sympathy towards her in the court of justice, she lies and acts as if she was pregnant (sounds familiar??).

The tone is set - we have both links connecting the song to babygate already. And then he goes ahead and sings about a baby in the first line?! And the best part is - it is pretty obvious by the song who it is meant to be about: Danielle Campbell. He drops enough identifier (“brother,” “Chicago,” “your mother,” “clothes sharing,” to be able to pin down who it is about. Just imagine the spike search results had when the album was released - wait hang on, let me just show you. Isn’t it funny that the collective sentiment will be “huh, but she didn’t have a baby?”

He is very clever about it, though: at first glance it is dressed up as a love song about an ex - in my opinion, though, it isn’t. It is very honest, I think, just not the way the sloppy conclusion leads to believe. To me, it is very much about Danielle, but as exactly what my reading showed: she was someone he could lean on during a hard time, who met him with compassion and understanding, and who was there for him when he had to do things that weren’t easy and black or white. She helped him choose a name for the fake baby he was having (unhinged theory: they were the ones starting the Conchobar rumour /j) He wants to express this and get it off his chest, maybe he wasn’t in the right space back then to show his appreciation and gratefulness properly. 

Maybe, because of the mentioned bitterness and “it” not working out, he can only now allow those feelings and speak them out loud. I think the “it” was the whole idea of stunting with Danielle to keep from being dragged further into babygate. Obviously, he is still very much entangled in the babygate stunt, so it fits, saying it didn’t work out back then. The theme of one of his plans not working out and it destroying/hurting a lot of people in his life is a recurring theme in his songs (“took a left, trying to make it right,” “said I had a plan, time came and changed it all”). He is insisting that it was more than just a means to an end for him: she was important to him, in a way someone becomes important to you when they help you through a hard time. 

The lines would make a lot of sense also in regards to what Danielle has said in an interview a couple years ago that mysteriously has been wiped off the internet last year and the only evidence we have of not collectively imagining things is on tellmethisisnotlove’s archived blog. She says she regrets deeply agreeing to do a PR relationship and seems to be very careful how to word it and that she would never do that again. Sounds like someone who got deeply involved in very shady stunting, if you ask me - and maybe that is why Louis is asking for forgiveness. 

He manages to put “end” in there a couple of times, and he is also saying that with time, the bitterness (about it not ending? not working out?) turns into sweetness - this is kind of along the lines of what I have been theorising, that he is starting to gear up to end it again. I do admit, that it can also be interpreted as him finding peace with it and just accepting that this is his life now “Cos i’ve been wondering what you’d say, would you have told me to keep going, or would you say to walk away?” - he is asking her if she’s seen that he is reviving the babygate stunt (and maybe she knows what he’s trying to do?) and what she thinks of it. It seems they had these conversations before, where she reminded him that he could always just leave it all and walk away if it got too much. And now seemingly he chooses to keep going (with the plan? To eventually end it? Or to just use it to his advantage?) and wonders if she would agree with that today.

To me, this song speaks of affection and respect for someone he considers somewhat a friend, that because of the circumstances was deeply knowledgeable about the predicaments he’s found himself in. The image does fit what I think happened - that they became actual friends and got along great while stunting, and that she managed to relieve some of the pressure and stress instead of adding to it, which is a feat as a hired beard.

Of course I am aware of confirmation bias, but when it makes this much sense, I just go hmmmmm… 

I am really glad to be reading that he wasn’t alone during this time, and that she was able to offer him comfort and strength and someone to lean on.

So, in conclusion - Chicago is, just as I predicted, about babygate, but not the way you think. It’s about Danielle Cmapbell, but not the way you think. It’s an honest song, but just not the way you think. 

It’s an insanely clever song, and I love that he decided to share this with us. Thank you, Louis.

Find an overview of all my close readings here.

#close reading and interpretation #faith in the future intepretation #fitf #faith in the future #chicago #chicago interpretation #song analysis #chicago analysis #babygate #bbg #danielle campbell #douis #louis tomlinson

[codenamesazanka]

What are your top ten Shigaraki ships (and if you've got time for it: why)?

Oh man! idk if I have enough - if there even is enough - Shigaraki ships (in the traditional romantic sense) to fill ten. Plus I hadn’t ship Shigaraki much with anyone because it wasn’t until recently that he got all this screentime and developing relationships with other characters. 

But going with interesting dynamics and relationships of all types, platonic or romantic or enemy or cautionary or imaginary/fanon (because I’m a sucker for my own imagined potential of a relationship) or canon(ish), and which ones intrigues/affects/impacts me the most? and then ranking them??? impossible hmm

(using the names and honorifics the characters call Shigaraki for some variation and also because I’m a weeb) (also ranking is suspect because I’m bad at making decisions)

10. Shigaraki and Bakugou

I didn’t actually like Bakugou until his Remedial Course mini-arc, and so didn’t pay attention to him much. So I was surprised when Shigaraki wanted Bakugou for his League. It wasn’t until I understood Shigaraki much better and finally took the effort to consider Bakugou’s side of things that I found myself wishing they had more interaction during his kidnapping. Because here was Shigaraki going 110% to woo Bakugou into joining him, he had honestly thought the boy would make a good Villain. And there was Bakugou who was adamant about being a Hero despite not being very Heroic. We could’ve had a great look (if Bakugou ever talked) into Heroes and Villains and motivations and more stuff about how they’re two sides of the same coin… or so I wish, making this a purely speculation about a battle of ideas and these two enemies coming to a grudging respect. But that’s all over now. 

9. Shigaraki and Twice

Shigaraki took off Twice’s mask to shut him up (sorta), then put it back on for him! If that isn’t the most warmhearted mean thing to do. Twice is very much invested in the League and I wanna see Shigaraki appreciating that. Is Twice the first member to get to touch Shigaraki’s hands? To measure them for a clone? Very big deal. Not a very intense dynamic, but good fun downtime Villain Out Shopping fluff. 

8. Shigaraki and Mr. Compress

Gotta say it’s @happojin’s ficlet about these two scheming over personal revenge on Overhaul that got me intrigued in this no-ideology partnership-in-pure-villainy. Mr. Compress is the exact type of chaos-loving dramatic criminal that’s right up his boss’ alley, though I can see too much of it getting onto Shigaraki’s nerves - which makes for good, mischievous conflict. These two would blow up buildings purely for fun and I wanna see that joy on their faces. But also! Not yet knowing the reason for Mr. Compress join the League makes for great speculation - like maybe he’s just enamored with Shigaraki’s spirit and youth (that makes him feel young himself???) that he’ll be okay with losing an arm and poverty and getting kicked around by a giant naked mountain man for a month. We see Mr. Compress with Shigaraki in chapter 114, calling Toga (for Shigaraki?) and I want to think it’s Mr. Compress fancying himself as Shigaraki’s (all) right hand man. 

7. Doctor and Shigaraki

The Doctor is creepy and I’m iffy about him cuz, well, he’s creepy but he sure is making the plot move forward and now he’s the guy who will be giving the League zany inventions like some episodic comedic cartoon. If it wasn’t so horrifying that they’re Noumus. But mostly, this is a guy who knew Shigaraki from childhood, who preserved (and maintained???) the hands, who Shigaraki is familiar with but also knows nothing about. What stories can you tell us about Shigaraki, Doc? I wanna know. I’m scared, but I wanna know.

6. Giran and Shigaraki-san

How long have they known each other??? (Consider - middle-aged seen-his-shit-in-the-underworld-and-now-respected-broker Giran having to be polite to a sulky teenaged Shigaraki and needing to address him as ‘san’ - idk, maybe I’m getting the nuance there wrong but… hilarity) What other dealings have they done? Giran sure is a champ to lose five fingers for Shigaraki and the League - is the League his best customer? Did Shigaraki ‘inherit’ the use of the broker from AFO? Has Giran met AFO? I guess this is just me wanting to know more about Giran, and Shigaraki is the proxy for that. But I wanna know! I wanna see them interact when Shigaraki rescues Giran. 

5. All Might and Shigaraki(Shimura Tenko)

I love my Shimura Tenko gets a father figure in All Might AUs! I’m writing one lol. But I acknowledge this is less about the characters themselves and more about the exploration of a legacy that ties them together. Cuz I love that shit. I love the idea of All Might being such a loyal disciple that he would do anything for the grandson of Nana - except it’s just that, he’s only chasing after a reminder of Nana. What would he do with Shigaraki/Tenko himself? And I love the idea of Shigaraki/Tenko deciding how to incorporate the tale of the sordid Shimura family into his life - if he chooses to do so at all. Lots of family/identity drama. Also completely in headcanon territory. Ah well.

4. Toga and Tomura-kun

The recent chapters have really up my interest in the friendship/siblinghood/whatever admiration Toga has for Shigaraki. She calls him Tomura-kun, which yes it’s expected of her as a cute high schooler; but no one else has ever called Shigaraki just his first name besides AFO. And Shigaraki seems to have a soft spot for her? He’s been very nice to all of the League, but for someone who immediately hated her at first sight cuz she was a ‘brat’ who didn’t make any sense, that’s the biggest attitude change. Right now, they’re confirmed to be the youngest and closest in age of the League, and I like the idea of them being able to be ‘young people these days’ together and relate to one another. Toga is very loyal to Shigaraki, but not above stabbing him should he be a jerk. Like with Twice, I wanna see Shigaraki be appreciative, or rather, I wanna see another scene where he’s really nice to her (the first one being, of course, that Overhaul arc flashback). 

Also they were in an omake drama CD being silly and if that isn’t the best thing.

3. Kurogiri and Shigaraki Tomura

Hmmm I’m lazy and I already planned a whole post dedicated to analyzing their relationship, so I’m gonna skip this. I’ll edit with the link to that post later!

2. Shigaraki and Spinner! In danger of being an OTP for me, which isn’t hard cuz I don’t have any other

The only romantic relationship on this list. Spinaraki. Like I said before, though Shigaraki was really the only option after Stain, Spinner was so clearly ready to believe in Shigaraki, to follow him, because he wanted the League to change the world. That’s a lot of faith put onto someone who is Shigaraki (I mean, look at him, he’s a skinny NEET goth), so much so Spinner, implied to have not been a criminal before joining the League, is ready to kill (and does). That’s intriguing enough, and then comes his month long observation diary about his leader. Who he still stays with after knowing Shigaraki’s very-not-Stain-like-nor-revolutionary plans. And now we wait for the climax of his journey of wavering loyalty. True, a lot of it is my own hyped-up imagination but I’m enjoying it. If Spinner stays and become Shigaraki’s most loyal follower, that is so my shit I’m going to die. I’m gonna die anyways whenever they interact in the near future chapters. 

1. All For One and Tomura

What is there to say about…. this? It haunts me. It’s number one on this list cuz it’s the dynamic that I think about most, has impacted me most (Chapter 222 was a lot to handle), and it’s like trying to untangle thorny vines. Gotta say, in my intepretation, it’s a very accurate portrayal - from Shigaraki’s side - of caring about someone who has hurt you a lot, and you know it. But it’s the person you knew best and depended on when there was no one else, and you’re always going to have their influence - of which includes positive things. It’s one of the very few portrayal that gets all the paradoxical messy details while being explicitly clear to the reader it’s wrong, Shigaraki doesn’t deserve this. It’s also clear that while AFO may have affection for people, that doesn’t matter. He’s a monster. Still wrong, and cruel. And I think that’s important to show, important to depict and an important message told well. Now all that’s left is to wait to see what Shigaraki will do now and how this bond will break. 

This to be absolutely clear, this isn’t a ‘ship’, it’s a portrayal of an abused child solider that is now flourishing away from his guardian and I’m hopeful for the future. And it’s so poignant to me, that a story is tackling this. Gets it. Its a dynamic I’m invested in because it’s a story of survival and I will see it through.

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Honorable mentions? I wanna see Shigaraki and Hawks. That should be interesting. 

I used to like ShigaDabi, but mostly because it was available. I’ve got no opinions about it now. :/

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Thanks for reading!

#nalslastworkingbraincell #shigaraki tomura #shigaraki #and that's all i'm tagging #way too much #and #spinaraki #cuz that tag deserves some life #my top ten character dynamics

[caralara]

The Greatest - a close reading & interpretation

This is my very personal interpretation of The Greatest, content warning: break ups, babybgate. Overview to all close readings here. Let's dive right in!

Close reading of the lyrics:

Tell you I’m on my way, nothing could make me late

he is coming to them, and his determination (this time) is real - emphasis on “this is my priority #1” - it seems he was away, because he has to come to them, he had to find his way back to them

Said I had a plan for us 

he had a plan - (master) plan is a keyword in this album: here he switches to the past, so this is something that happened before he went to the away he is coming back from now. He had a plan for the two of them: what do you need a plan for that involves the two of them against - what? The world? The music industry?

time it came and changed it all

he is staying in the past, he is recounting how this plan unfolded, and that it didn’t go according to plan - it was all changed. Possible reading being, when it came to execute the plan, it changed their reality, made a shift happen that will never be able to be undone, or that with time the plan was changed from the original one - or maybe both?

We had to disappear

he is still recounting from the past: when this plan turned out to happen differently than they anticipated, they had to disappear - from what? Louis didn’t actually disappear, but maybe he means they as a unit had to disappear from view - because they are disappearing together, so they are still a unit that disappeared from - the world? The public eye? From the others?

cos nothing gets through here, through that circle round my heart, where the best of me should start

Now he is giving a reason for why they had to disappear, or maybe why the plan changed: he says that nothing gets through the circle around his heart, and note how he is back to the present: this is still an issue today. Has he built up such strong walls around his heart that even the person he sings through couldn’t get through anymore? Yet he says he knows that’s where he feels like he is the best version of himself: if he opens his heart, takes down the wall, let’s people into this circle, they see his true self. But he says “should” so maybe he doesn’t really know anymore himself - has the circle gotten so strong that he has trouble himself accessing that best of himself?

I said you know me

he slips back into the past: it’s something he’s said back then. Is it a plea? You know me, don’t be fooled by the circle (wall) around my heart? You know me, I just want the best for you and us? No one else knows me like you do? Don’t forget who I really am, because you know me?

alone we’re only, just as good as the rest

now he states a universal truth to him, he is in the present tense and he is speaking from experience: when they’re separated they are just as average as the rest of the world, but he words it wonderfully: he says the rest is good. But them separated they are just as good as the rest, which implies when they are together they are not average: they are extraordinary, or …

Together we’re the greatest

… in his words: the greatest. When he’s with them, he feels like on top of the world, when they’re together he feels like they can do anything, be legendary, move mountains, be The Greatest in all aspects.

we’ll never be that cold again, no falling all to pieces

for the first and only time, he goes into a future tense, and it implies a conviction: I am not doing this again, ever, I am not being separated from you ever again, we will forever have warmth, comfort, and safety between us, they will never ever again break down because they are not together, because he won’t allow for it to happen again. This will happen, he’s not merely planning on it.

We’re the greatest, it’s you and me until the end, life for us is never over

he repeats that they are extraordinary and the very best thing in the world when they’re together, and now he is vowing that until the end (of his life), they will stay together. Then he goes on and says life is never over for them, which could be read as when they’re together, he feels alive, and when they are not he feels dead inside, and it could also be read as in them being together is so legendary, the lore of it will never be forgotten. Lovely also how he includes “the end” in this - they will go through The End together, because after the end, life still isn’t over for them.

The way you know something

He is not only talking about the fact they know something, but about the way they know something. He is in awe of how they know something - maybe it is their intuition? He said that they know him, and now he’s saying it’s the way they know this. Is it that he recognises how natural it comes to them what they know? 

Your face reminded me, of a love you cannot hide 

now he is back in the past: their face reminded him. It could stop right there, just looking at their face, it reminded him - of what? of what is in the circle around his heart? What he needs to remember, what he’s doing this, the plan, for? Then he tacks on, that what it reminded him of is that they cannot hide their love (for him). Why would he need to be reminded of it? It is important to distinguish here, that the reminder was in the past, but the fact they cannot hide their life is a fact across times, it is always the case. Why did he forget and had to be reminded of the love on their face? Were their relationship in a bad place, were they not saying out loud how they really felt about Louis, meaning loving him, therefore outwardly making it seem they didn’t? 

but don’t need to tell me why

here he is saying that they never have to justify themself to him - it is in present tense and universally valid. Is it because he knows now, and because he was reminded of it, that their love for him never fades, so he doesn’t worry that they didn’t show it - so his devotion is unconditional. 

Back dancing in the dark, back to the very start

is this where he goes to when he needs to remember? Going back to the start, the beginning of their relationship,  where they were dancing in the dark, meaning they were joyful together, in a space that was dark, which describes how they didn’t see their surroundings - where they were carefree, dancing together, not aware how their environment would impact their relationship?

Finding pieces that can fit, making up for what we missed

this is happening in the present: “finding,” “making” - this is where they are now. Making up for lost time when they weren’t together, or where they were in a bad place. They are making the best of being together, they are The Greatest now, because they are together, they are building their life around the obstacles, making it fit, and doing all the joyful things together as a couple they missed out on.

Personal interpretation

This is an incredibly epic opener to the album (sonically too), and it sets the tone: I was lost, but now I know where I am going, and what I am doing all this for. It very much aligns with what Louis has been saying, and how this album feels to him. It’s the soundtrack to the opening of an epos. It sounds big, grand, legendary. It’s a story of a battle, of going through hard times, for a once in a lifetime love, and coming out on top all the wiser and stronger together for it (can you tell I am a little in love with this song?). 

To me, this is a very honest song, and to me, it definitely is about his love and relationship with Harry. How many times has it been said that this is the grandest love story of our time? And yes, it isn’t just a story for them, but they themselves like to romanticize their relationship - which is far from being a bad thing, because they are simultaneously being brutally honest with themselves and us through their music.

I interpret this as a recounting of what they went through to end up where they are now. The mentioning of a “plan gone wrong/changed” makes my ears peak up, because it aligns very much with how I see what happened with the whole babygate stunt, of which you can find an extensive post I’ve written here. Louis says he had a plan for them, both of them, to make their relationship and life better: I believe he did the babygate stunt in exchange for Harry’s bi* coming out (regardless of his real sexuality), and it screwed him and them over really badly. To me it reads that he put up walls around his heart in order to go through with it, in his mind it was for the greater good, a sacrifice he was happy to give in exchange for Harry’s happiness and an improvement of the tensions in their relationship for having to hide their relationship and stay in the closet to the public - but he didn’t realise he shut out Harry, too, in the process of putting up these walls and became someone he doesn’t really like, hiding his true, kind, vulnerable self away behind this circle. And because of that, they lost each other for a while - and Louis had to go and find himself again, find clarity on the direction he wants to go in and what he’s actually fighting for. And he found it, and now he’s more convicted than he ever was. He is also mentioning that the tough times they have to go through, aren’t over yet, and he promises they will stay together through The End as well, he won’t ever let himself get in between them ever again. He concludes that they are in a good place now, they are making up for lost time and finding compromises to make their lives fit together well. And he knows that this is his forever. 

Conclusion

I adore this song, musically as well as lyrically: he is already proving he’s got an impressive way with words, and his storytelling is on point. 10/10. Can’t wait to hear this live and scream it back at him.

Overview to all close readings here.

#faith in the future intepretation #the greatest #faith in the future #the greatest interpretation #close reading #interpretation #close reading and interpretation #louis tomlinson #song analysis #so fucking in love with this song