What does "Call You Mine" by The Chainsmokers & Bebe Rexha mean?
“Call You Mine” Lyrics Meaning
The Chainsmokers’ newest single with Bebe Rexha is written from the perspective of someone in a dying relationship, as she confronts her lover and tries to remind him that he loved her once, and may love her still, before they drift apart for good.
“Am I someone you cannot live without?”
She is invested in the relationship and even though they’ve been distant recently, she is carried by the memories of the way things used to be: passionate and naive.. She doesn’t want to live without him and is asking him if he is still as invested in their relationship as she is.
(Sidenote: Even though this is a song and isn’t narrated, but sung, this analysis will refer to the person telling the story as the narrator, since the song is written from the perspective of a likely fictional character.)
Verse 1
Two kids with their hearts on fire
Who's gonna save us now?
When we thought that we couldn't get higher
Things started looking down
I look at you and you look at me
Like nothing but strangers now
Two kids with their hearts on fire
Don't let it burn us out
The narrator begins by looking back to when she and her lover had a strong relationship. She reminds him that while things might be “looking down” for them and they’ve grown apart to the point that they’re like “strangers now, they were once “two kids with their hearts on fire.” They once “thought that [they] couldn’t get higher” and she believes they can go back to that place as she implores him to not “let [the flame of their love] burn … out.”
Pre-Chorus
Think about what you believe in now
Am I someone you cannot live without?
'Cause I know I don't wanna live without you, yeah
Come on, let's turn this all around
Bring it all back to that bar downtown
When you wouldn't let me walk out on you, yeah
It becomes clear that the narrator is confronting her lover and forcing him to face the declining state of their relationship before giving him an opportunity to work with her to change it. She tells him that he should get his priorities clear and “think about what [he] believe[s] in now.” Sure that she doesn’t “wanna live without [him]” she asks if he cares as much for her as she does for him. Attempting to help him remember his love for her, she reminds him of the time when she was the one who was unsure of their relationship, but he “wouldn’t let [her] walk out on [him].”
Chorus
You said, "Hey, whatcha doing for the rest of your life?"
And I said, "I don't even know what I'm doing tonight"
Went from one conversation to your lips on mine
And you said, "I never regretted the day that I called you mine"
So I call you mine
Can I call you mine?
And you said, "I never regretted the day that I called you mine"
When they first met in “that bar downtown” she wasn’t sure about him, but he won her over. He flirted with her and asked what she was “doing for the rest of [her] life.” Her response illustrates her spontaneous streak, and that it’s perhaps a big deal that she wants a long-term relationship with him, as she quips that she doesn’t even have plans for the night, let alone her life. That meeting blossomed into a passionate relationship. He had said that he “never regretted” calling her his. By bringing this up, she’s indirectly asking if he still doesn’t regret it. It’s her turn now, and she asks tentatively: “Can I call you mine?”
Verse 2
Broke kids running through the city
Drunk on the subway train
Set free every time you kissed me
We couldn't feel no pain
You looked at me and I looked at you
Like we'd never look away
Broke kids running through the city
Don't let the memory fade
They may not have had much in the material sense, but those she misses being a broke kid “running through the city” with him. She felt “set free” from her pain “every time [he] kissed [her].” In bitter-sweet remembrance she realizes the naivety of their time together as they both thought they’d “never look away” from each other’s eyes. She never would have imagined that they could have become strangers. Fiercely, she commands both him and herself to not “let the memory fade.”
Deeper Meaning of “Call You Mine” by The Chainsmokers, Bebe Rexha
Since “Call You Mine” doesn’t give details as to why they first loved each other, or why they drifted apart, it’s difficult to comment on the story the song tells. That said, my favorite thing about these lyrics is the way that the narrator sits down with her significant other and calls attention to the poor state of their relationship, tells him that she’s willing to fight for them, and asks if he’s willing to do the same. Confrontation and vulnerability like that are difficult, but vital to maintaining healthy relationships and removing unhealthy ones before they get worse.
If there’s one thing I feel this song is missing it’s a deeper awareness of why these two people belong, or don’t belong together. Having details would make the lyrics more compelling and leave listeners feeling more invested. Even though pop music isn’t usually intended to be deep, I think it would be interesting to go into depth as to why they care for one another, beyond mutual attraction.
