Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: garage
Song Meaning of “Back And Forth” by Royal Headache
Back and Forth is a reflective, melancholic anthem of understanding. It’s been interpreted as a song of relationship dissolution, but may also point to the concept of redemption through understanding. The protagonist is torn between despair and hope: on one hand, striving to find an end to the pain and anguish of being in love, and on the other, hoping to find a way forward, a way to understand and bridge the divide between one another. The lyrics delve into the back and forth dance that lovers experience when in the middle of a mutually destructive dynamic:
“We go forward then we go back/We try to move on and that’s a fact/But roots of our heart, by the core,/Cause us to be distant, forevermore.”
The protagonist is caught in a spiral of despair, struggling to understand why they can’t seem to break free from this destructive pattern. In the bridge of the song, it appears they have moments of clarity and come to a realization:
“The best way is just to find the window/ Uproot this tree, it’s time to let it go/You and I, we got a lot to learn/If we just find the strength, we’ll have to return.”
The protagonist has found the power to end the cycle, to break away from the pain and find redemption through understanding. The last line, “If we just find the strength, we’ll have to return,” implies that even though the relationship may not work out, the protagonists will end up together again in the end, coming full circle and finding solace in understanding and acceptance.