“Apocalypse” is a 2017 indie rock track by Cigarettes After Sex about loving someone who can’t let go of their past. The apocalypse represents both the devastating end of her previous relationships and the potential destruction of this new one if she can’t move forward.
Below is a section-by-section interpretation of the lyrics in “Apocalypse.”
- Song: Apocalypse
- Artist: Cigarettes After Sex
- Songwriter: Greg Gonzalez
- Released: 2017
- Album: Cigarettes After Sex
- Genre: Indie rock, Alternative rock, Slowcore
What is “Apocalypse” About?
Verse 1: The Wreckage She Left Behind
You leapt from crumbling bridges watching cityscapes turn to dust
Her past relationships ended catastrophically.
She jumped from one failing relationship to another, barely escaping each disaster.
Filming helicopters crashing in the ocean from way above
She watched these relationships crash and burn from a distance, almost detached.
“Filming” implies that she’s been observing her own trauma rather than fully feeling it.
Chorus: Locked in the Past
Got the music in you, baby, tell me why
He sees something beautiful and joyful inside her, but she won’t let that joy out.
You’ve been locked in here forever and you just can’t say goodbye
She’s trapped in her past pain and can’t move forward.
He’s asking why she won’t let go of her sadness and the hurt from previous relationships, even though she has happiness available to her now.
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Verse 2: Buried Memories
Kisses on the foreheads of the lovers wrapped in your arms
She’s holding onto the memory of past relationships, keeping them close even though they’re gone.
These are tender memories, which makes it harder for her to let go.
You’ve been hiding them in hollowed-out pianos left in the dark
She’s buried these memories and emotions somewhere deep inside, like hiding something in an old, abandoned piano.
The piano metaphor works even better if you think of the piano creating melancholy melodies, just like the sadness she’s holding onto.
Bridge: The Flood Coming
Your lips, my lips
Apocalypse
Their relationship could either be their salvation or their destruction.
The “apocalypse” is what might happen to them if she can’t let go of her past.
Or the “apocalypse” could be the kind of destruction she needs, the end of her old life that finally lets her move forward with him.
Go and sneak us through the rivers
Flood is rising up on your knees
He’s asking her to go through this together, to navigate the danger with him.
The flood rising to her knees means they’re already deep in trouble.
Her past and her pain are actively threatening to drown them both, and they need to move forward before it’s too late.
Oh, please
Come out and haunt me, I know you want me
He’s begging her to show herself fully, even the damaged parts.
He knows she wants this relationship too, but she’s holding back.
She’s staying at a distance, not fully letting herself be in it because she’s afraid of getting hurt again.
Verse 3: Sleeping With Memories
Sharing all your secrets with each other since you were kids
This verse seems to imply that his girlfriend has a female ex who she’s been close to since childhood.
They were probably best friends also, so that type of breakup would hurt worse than most.
Sleeping soundly with the locket that she gave you clutched in your fist
She still sleeps holding onto a locket that her ex gave her.
It’s one of many things that are preventing her from moving forward.
Outro: The Promise
Oh, when you’re all alone
I will reach for you
He’s promising to be there for her no matter what.
When she isolates herself or pushes people away, he’ll still be available for her.
When you’re feeling low
I will be there too
He’s committed to her through the darkness, through her struggles with her past.
Even if this relationship ends badly, he’s willing to go through it with her because he believes in what they have.
“Apocalypse” Song Meaning: Loving Through the Wreckage
“Apocalypse” is about trying to love someone who’s been so damaged by past relationships that she can’t fully open up to something new. He sees the joy inside her, but she won’t let it out because she can’t say goodbye to her pain.
He’s offering unconditional support, willing to be there through her struggles, but he knows that this relationship might also end in catastrophe.
He’s not trying to fix her or push her to change, but he’ll be there when she’s ready, even if she never fully is.
Songs Like “Apocalypse”
Here are some tracks that have similar themes:
1. “Show Me How” by Men I Trust
This 2019 indie track is about wanting to get closer to someone who doesn’t love you back the same way, and being willing to wait for them.
2. “Fade into You” by Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star’s 1993 dream pop classic is another song about trying to connect with someone who feels unreachable.
Related: “Fade into You” Song Meaning
3. “Yellow” by Coldplay
Coldplay’s hit is about devoted, selfless love for someone, even when the relationship feels unbalanced.
Related: “Yellow” Song Meaning
Conclusion: Going Down Together
To me, “Apocalypse” is about loving someone who is full of life but held back by their pain. The song is filled with great metaphors that describe what it’s like being in a relationship with someone who still has one foot in their past. Definitely relatable.
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