Two Locks | Lyric Analysis
For the lyrics head here: Two Locks | Lyrics
Opening: Longing and Underrated Love
I want to sing you a song
Describe at length
Why you’re under rated
As we carry along
Always lacking the moment
to get you alone and I hate it
A thousand words exchanged
No time to waste on breathing, or conceiving
Interpretation:
The song opens with a classic gesture of affection—wanting to “sing you a song.” The narrator wants to spend time describing how special this person is, feeling they’re “underrated,” perhaps by the world or even by themselves.
There’s a persistent frustration here—despite being together (“as we carry along”), they rarely find time alone. The lyric “a thousand words exchanged, no time to waste on breathing, or conceiving” highlights the overwhelming pace of life and conversation, leaving no space for deep connection, intimacy, or even pausing to simply exist together.
Chorus: Freedom, Insecurity, and Intimacy
Every stage of life can go, however we want it to be
Every girl that I have loved, is nothing next to me
You are perfect in your eyes, as long as you’ll agree
Secret locks the doors behind, and throws away the key
Interpretation:
This chorus is rich with philosophical and emotional complexity.
Possibility and Choice: “Every stage of life can go, however we want it to be” suggests the future is unwritten; the relationship is theirs to shape.
Comparison and Self-Reflection: “Every girl that I have loved, is nothing next to me”—a subtle confession; previous loves pale in comparison, and perhaps also a comment on self-worth or growth.
Conditional Perfection: “You are perfect in your eyes, as long as you’ll agree”—perfection here is subjective, reliant on mutual recognition.
Secrecy and Security: “Secret locks the doors behind, and throws away the key”—the metaphor of locked doors evokes exclusivity, safety, or perhaps a relationship kept hidden from the world, made permanent by throwing away the key.
Verse 2: Insecurity, Mental Noise, and Yearning
All references complete
Take a drive to the sands and delete me
no? I’m just teething
Be more creatively
My mind is constantly
On things it shouldn’t be
That life’s not even free
Drew a line in the sand
You’re the tide that comes in
Smooth like the skin on the tips of my hand
Interpretation:
References and Deletion: “All references complete / Take a drive to the sands and delete me”—these lines have a technical, almost digital feel (like erasing files), blended with a longing for escape (“drive to the sands”). The speaker wonders if they could simply be erased, yet acknowledges their own vulnerability (“I’m just teething”—still learning or growing).
Restlessness and Regret: “My mind is constantly on things it shouldn’t be / That life’s not even free”—mental distractions, guilt, or a sense of not living authentically.
Metaphor of the Tide: “Drew a line in the sand / You’re the tide that comes in”—the listener (or lover) erases boundaries, bringing connection and renewal.
Sensory Detail: “Smooth like the skin on the tips of my hand”—a tender image, connecting intimacy to physical touch.
Bridge/Outro: Vulnerability and Devotion
I see you smile when I close my eyes
My dear, I stumble through walls for you
Interpretation:
Dreamlike Presence: The loved one’s smile is so vivid it appears even with eyes closed; they exist in the narrator’s mind and heart, regardless of distance.
Devotion: “I stumble through walls for you”—not just walking, but stumbling, suggesting both eagerness and imperfection. It’s love as effort, as clumsy and sincere devotion.
Major Themes & Devices
1. Intimacy vs. Distance
The lyrics are threaded with longing for true connection, frustration with circumstances that keep the lovers apart, and the sense of intimacy when barriers dissolve.
2. Security and Secrecy
“Locks the doors behind, and throws away the key” suggests a desire for something private, lasting, or sacred—love as a hidden treasure.
3. Vulnerability and Growth
References to “teething,” mental noise, and stumbling suggest ongoing growth, vulnerability, and the imperfect pursuit of love.
4. Sensory and Poetic Imagery
Tides, sand, smooth skin—these details root the emotional intensity in physical sensations.
Final Reflection
“Two Locks” is a song about yearning for intimacy in a fast, noisy world. It’s about wanting to carve out sacred space, lock it up, and throw away the key so nothing can intrude. Yet it’s also honest about distraction, insecurity, and the challenges of modern love. The ending—“I stumble through walls for you”—reminds us that devotion is often awkward, but it’s the trying, not the perfection, that matters.
