What does "This Love" by Camila Cabello mean?

“This Love” Lyrics Meaning

Camila Cabello just released her newest album, Romance. Each of the songs are related in some way, shape, or form to either romance, or the lack of it. “This Love” tells a story of a dying relationship that Camila Cabello’s character knows she should leave, but keeps getting pulled back into. 

“Love me or just let me go”  

She knows that the relationship is doomed, and wants to break up once and for all. But, because of the good memories with her ex, and the intense feelings she still has for him, she has a difficult time convincing herself that she shouldn’t go back. This causes her to vent her frustration about the unstable “love” that the two share by cursing it out.

(It is important to note that there’s never a certainty of any of Camila Cabello’s songs being autobiographical unless she confirms the meaning. For simplicity’s sake, this analysis will refer to Camila’s “character” that she is singing as, but it doesn’t mean that the song is written about her life or from her perspective.)

Verse 1

Know just how to make me miss ya
When I'm feelin' sentimental
Goin' in our separate ways
But when I'm back here in the middle
Losin' you I couldn't face
But to love you is worse
Waitin' for ya just in case
One day it doesn't hurt

Camila’s character has just split up with her partner, and she still misses him. She finds herself wanting to go “back” and meet him in “the middle”. However, she knows that being with him again would be “worse” than losing him. Even though she understands she shouldn’t go back, she holds onto the hope that maybe one day his behavior won’t hurt her and they can be together again. 

Pre-Chorus

Said it's the last time, but nah, nah, nah, nah
Just like the last time, yeah, nah, nah, nah, nah
Tired of building up my walls, yeah
Just to watch them fall again

They have broken up before, and she’s tired of the cycle they’re caught in. It makes it difficult to believe that this really is the “last time” she will need to build up her walls against him, only to let him into her heart again.

Chorus

So f**k this love callin' my name
Get out of my veins
If you need your space, then just walk away
You know how to f**k me up, then make it okay
I guess that's just your game, and I'm the one who gets played
Again, and again, and again, and again

In frustration, she curses their relationship out and wishes that her feelings for him would “get out of [her] veins.” Easier said than done, because he has the ability to “make it okay” after he’s hurt her. This “game” has exhausted her and she can’t continue to go back and forth like this. 

Verse 2

Maybe you should set me free
Maybe I don't really want you to
Maybe I just wanna be
Be the person that you just can't lose
If you're gonna leave, then go
If you need me, let me know
Love me or just let me go
But no

Because the relationship is characterized by sharp highs and lows, she has mixed feelings about leaving him. She wants to be “set free,” but she also wants to be “the person [he] just can’t lose.” Her repetition of “maybe” also highlights her uncertainty. She confesses that she wants him to stay, but only if he will love her. “But no” indicates that she may doubt her resolve to stick to this ultimatum.

Bridge 

Maybe you should set me free
Maybe I don't really want you to
Maybe I just wanna be
Be the person that you just can't lose
No, there I go and fall again

The bridge repeats some of the lines from verse 2, but adds that she has fallen for him again. Her resolve has broken, and she is heading back into a relationship that she knows deep down will only hurt her again.

Deeper Meaning of “This Love” by Camila Cabello

“This Love” is about someone who ignores the pain that their partner is causing them so they can remain a couple, and not in a good way. The message of this song, if anything, is to not go back with someone you know will hurt you. Don’t wait for a day when you become numb to the pain, or hope that maybe this time they’ll change. Yes, people can change. But what the character in “This Love” knows deep down is that she shouldn’t risk her heart on the chance that he will.