Lyric Analysis - The Way It Was

Lyric Analysis

     The Killers - The Way It Was

I drove through the desert last night
I carried the weight of our last fight
Elvis singing "don't be cruel"
And I wonder if you feel it too
It's like we're going under

Somewhere outside the lonely Esmeralda county line
The question of my heart came to my mind

If I go on
With you by my side
Can it be
The way it was
When we met
Did you forget all about those golden nights?

Maybe a thief stole your heart
Or maybe we just drifted apart
I remember driving
In my daddy's car to the airfield
Blanket on the hood, backs against the windshield
Back then this thing was running on momentum, love and trust
That paradise is buried in the dust

[CHORUS]

All of our plans have fallen through
Sometimes a dream, it don't come true

Darling!
Darling!

If we go on
Can it be
The way it was
When we met
Did you forget all about them golden nights?

If I go on
With you by my side
Can it be
The way it was
My heart is true
Girl, it's just you
I'm thinking of
Can it be the way it was?
Maybe a thief stole your heart

The song is about a love that seems to be failing. It is directed to the person  they love, and seems to be talking to them about their thoughts, feelings and fears.

Lyrics about the recent past - the singer mentions what they've been doing and introduces the song

Lyrics of about a lost or failing love - the singer seems unhappy, and seems to be having a bad relationship

Lyrics about questioning that love - the singer wonders what will happen and whether their love is still there

Lyrics about memories - most of the second verse revolves around the singer remembering the past, and what their relationship was like at the start

Lyrics about love - at the end of the last chorus, the singer reveals that he still has feelings for this girl and still loves her