Lyric Analysis

"Jealous"

I'm jealous of the rain
That falls upon your skin
It's closer than my hands have been
I'm jealous of the rain
I'm jealous of the wind
That ripples through your clothes
It's closer than your shadow
Oh, I'm jealous of the wind, 'cause

[Chorus:]
I wished you the best of
All this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There's nothing to forgive
But I always thought you'd come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

I'm jealous of the nights
That I don't spend with you
I'm wondering who you lay next to
Oh, I'm jealous of the nights
I'm jealous of the love
Love that wasn't here
Gone for someone else to share
Oh, I'm jealous of the love, 'cause

[Chorus:]
I wished you the best of
All this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There's nothing to forgive
But I always thought you'd come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

As I sink in the sand
Watch you slip through my hands
Oh, as I die here another day
'Cause all I do is cry behind this smile

[Chorus:]
I wished you the best of all this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There's nothing to forgive
But I always thought you'd come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me

It's hard for me to say,
I'm jealous of the way
You're happy without me.

ANALYSIS

The artist is jealous of anything that gets to have immediate or direct contact with the person he loves, such as the rain as it touches her skin and he doesn’t have the opportunity to anymore for whatever reason, ‘I’m jealous of the rain, that falls upon your skin’, showing he wants to touch their skin and be close to them once again.

He still loves the person and wants the best possible future for them, showing he care deeply for them. He isn’t over the break up, he thought that they would get back together, he is jealous that the other person is doing well without him while he still feels pain and is suffering without them.

He is still thinking about the other person and what she is doing without him, he feels empty and lost. It hurts him to think that the other person may have moved on and found a new love even though all he wants is for them to inevitably be happy.

He regrets that he let them go and feels pain in his heart. He struggles to appear happy without them, ‘cry behind this smile’ showing he is really not happy but puts on a face for the world to cover his true emotions.

The last lyric is ‘I’m jealous of the way, you’re happy without me’ which leaves an impact and demonstrates that although all he wishes for his old lover is that they find happiness and wants them to have the best the world can give, yet it still hurts him to think that they would be better off without him and that they can be happier with someone else when he still loves them.

Lyric analysis from francesca radley