I know I’m not alone when I say that the song, “Linger” by The Cranberries has been on my mind nonstop lately. Between it being a trending song on TikTok and just a beautiful song in general, it truly resonates with me.
This song has always sat with me, not necessarily in an uneasy way or an uplifting way, but it just really makes me feel a way I can’t quite describe. It feels like walking down a long road with no end. It feels like looking for love in all the wrong places, but loving the feeling of still trying.
It’s about someone who is in love, but still has that lingering feeling of a want and need for a relationship that will never happen. And even if that relationship/situationship does happen, it feels impossible to get it back to the “honeymoon phase.”
In the song, she sings, “I swore I would be true, and honey, so did you, so why are you holding her hand?” This lyric holds such a strong place in my heart because the worst feeling in a relationship is when you think everything is fine and you suddenly realize and notice that they’d rather spend their time with someone else. In the honeymoon phase of a relationship, you are so infatuated with that person that you can’t even fathom the idea of either of you being with someone else. But when you are blinded and don’t see that they aren’t the one for you, you turn a blind to them being with someone new and continue to think, “It’s okay because I know they still love me.” Sadly, it’s not always true.
Of course, the chorus sticks with me the most: “But I’m in so deep, You know I’m such a fool for you, You’ve got me wrapped around your finger, Do you have to let it linger?” The feeling of caring and loving a person so much can sometimes be so strong that it’s almost sickening. The feeling of being “in so deep” is so hard to get out of because you think so highly of that person and expect them to be the picture perfect person you imagined in your head.
To be honest, when I hear this song, I think back on past experiences of people in my life that this song relates to and it makes me wonder if I should regret those decisions or relationships. The truth is: never regret anything. No mater how badly you wanted something to work out, if it doesn’t, that’s not your fault. When you do so much for a person and care as deeply as you do, you can’t always expect them to do the most for you if they aren’t truly the one. And yes, I stand by the saying “If he wanted to, he would” because well, if they wanted to, they would!
The moral of the story is if you haven’t already, listen to “Linger” by The Cranberries because it will truly change your life.