Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: emo
Song Meaning of “Desert Lily” by Make Do And Mend
‘Desert Lily’ by Make Do And Mend is a melancholic track about the perils of trying to make a failed relationship work. The song’s opening lines, “This is the way it always starts/When you make it this far down the line” sets the tone for a long and heartbreaking journey, punctuated with moments of fading hope.
The protagonist reveals their struggle to accept their feelings of guilt and regret. They admit their “stumbling through life just to strap us back together” to get back to those halcyon days. Although the narrator wishes for it all to just go back to how it was, they are fully aware that all their efforts are futile, as seen in the line, “We can blow this past away like desert dust/This dominoes ain’t ever gonna line up just right”. They imagine the doubts fading away and love prevailing, as captured in the lyrics, “And on the stillest night, a desert lily blooms/For me and you, our love will finally bloom”.
The chorus carries a hint of hope for a new beginning, “My God I know it’s true, we can start anew”. But even if the narrator grasps this chance of making it work, the thought of repeating the same mistakes still lingers, as heard in the last line “Cause I could never settle the same old crimes.” Ultimately, the song is about understanding when enough is enough and accepting that sometimes, love is not meant to be.