Bright Eyes - Lover I Don't Have To Love - Lyrics Meaning
"Lover I Don't Have To Love" is a 2002 single from the band Bright Eyes. The song comes from the album "Lifted or The Story Is in The Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground," a breakthrough recording for the band, which Rolling Stone magazine named the fourth best album of 2002.
Oberst, the band's singer and songwriter, has long been hailed the next Bob Dylan among American music journalists and critics. This track is a departure from the usual Oberst/Bright Eyes sound. The lyrics describe a rather torrid tale of self-centered relations between characters that Oberst intentionally keeps sexually ambiguous.
The song illustrates a mutual one-night affair between what is apparently a tormented musician or singer and someone he or she picks out from the crowd. Perhaps it's autobiographical but this has never been confirmed. Both individuals appear to be looking for a physical and chemical escape from some kind of inner torment.
Both seemingly get some sort of rush from being used and discarded through a no questions asked one-night stand. One character refuses to give their name when asked by the other. They nonchalantly respond to the question by asking for the time, as if to say, hurry up, let's get this going. Both characters are primarily seeking thrills without a need to be formal or to connect at any level beyond this one evening of self-destructive debauchery.
The song closes out with the following lyrics:
But you but you˙
You write such pretty words
But life's no story book˙
Love's an excuse to get hurt˙
And to hurt˙
"Do you like to hurt?"˙
"I do! I do!"
"Then hurt me." [fades]
It would appear that these words are coming from the character that has hooked up with the agonized singer. Essentially giving them the green light to go with the moment and not worry about consequences.
The vivid storytelling obviously meant something to Oberst as the music video lets the lyrics tell the story. The video plays like a karaoke video, with scrolling lyrics, highlighted as the words are sung, with cheesy generic imagery in the background.