Released: 2012
‘A Match Into Water’ by Pierce the Veil is a raw, emotional journey through love, loss, and defiance. It’s a tale of a man grappling with his partner’s illness, using intense metaphors and vivid imagery to convey his emotions.
The lyrics kick off with the protagonist kissing the scars on his lover’s skin, a metaphor for accepting her flaws and hardships. He screams out to God, calling him a ‘vulture’, expressing his anger and desperation at the situation.
The phrase ‘tear it down, break the barricades’ signifies his willingness to challenge fate and fight for his love. He hates the ‘flavor’ of the situation and its ‘aftertaste’, referring to the bitter reality of impending loss.
The line ‘how does it feel? Well, it feels like I’m on fire’ expresses his pain and anguish. He pleads for a promise, possibly for his lover to fight the illness or for them to stay together until the end.
‘Love like a tidal wave’ and ‘dreamless in early graves’ symbolize their intense love and the grim reality of their situation. The chemicals could refer to medication, hinting at a hope for recovery.
The phrase ‘when it’s sudden death, we fight back’ shows their determination to resist the inevitable. The protagonist accuses someone, possibly death itself, of being a ‘traitor’ and taking his love for granted.
The line ‘keep digging holes in the desert’ could be a metaphor for futile efforts to fight the illness. The question ‘if we die at the same time, does it still scare you?’ shows their shared fear and the comfort they find in each other.
The repeated line ‘we will bring the tidal wave’ signifies their collective resistance against the inevitable. The line ‘she’s mine, you stay away from her, it’s not her time’ shows the protagonist’s possessiveness and denial.
The final verse repeats the promise, the love like a tidal wave, and the hope that the chemicals will bring her home. The song ends with a defiant ‘fuck it’, showing the protagonist’s frustration and defiance against the cruel hand of fate.
