B-side: "Swingin' on a Daydream"
Released: January 16, 2012 (music download & airplay), January 23, 2012 (CD single)
Recorded: Avatar Studios (New York City, New York)
Format: CD single, music download, airplay
Genre: Alternative rock, post-Britpop
Length: 6:41 (album version); 5:24 (radio edit)
Label: Studio60 Records
Writer(s): Jason Bradford, Gavin Brady, Wilson Cooper, Caleb Morgan
Producer: Ryan Ross Hernandez

Song structure

Introduction (0:00 - 0:55)

The song starts off with a haunting vocal section of multiple voices, put on heavy reverb, as they sing their 'ooh's' into the recorder. This continues for about seventeen seconds until a distorted guitar riff, played by Jason Bradford, comes through the speakers with the 'ooh's' steadily turning into 'woah's'. At twenty-seven seconds mark, the drums and bass make their way into the song. Cooper is pounding away on his drum set, as Brady plucks the strings on his bass, adding more depth to the eery sound. All the while, the vocals that are heard at the very start, continue until the end of the introduction.

Verse (0:56 - 1:36)

Frontman Caleb Morgan, is the last to join in with the band, nearly a minute into the song. When he does, the backing vocals disappear and the drum beat becomes more consistent, almost having a bounce to them. The distortion on Bradford's guitar are turned down a bit, his riffs heard more clearer throughout the verse. Morgan's voice carries a hint of speak-singing a ways in but otherwise straightforward vocal approach. A bit of a husk is heard in his voice. When he is done singing, the drums and bass fade away, Bradford taking the limelight playing an effect-free guitar riff, as sequence of keys are introduced along with it. It brings the song down a tempo, making for a perfect lead in into the chorus.

Chorus (1:37 - 2:21)

A second later, all instruments fade away. Morgan comes back into the song, swiping his fingers over the strings of his acoustic guitar, starting to sing in a falsetto tone. The entire chorus it is just Morgan's voice and an acoustic guitar, showing a great deal of difference from what listeners had heard on the same song seconds prior. He shows range in his vocal ability, in each line his voice begins in falsetto before dropping down in range by the end.

Verse (2:22 - 2:50)

By the start of the second verse, the music continues where it left off at the first verse. The music is basically identical until the end of the verse, where the drums become the instrument that carries it into the chorus.

Chorus (2:51 - 3:36)

During the chorus, the music again comes only from an acoustic guitar. This time the guitar playing is a bit more fast-paced, with the vocals slipping off his lips faster too.

Bridge (3:37 - 4:04)

Continuing with the simple acoustics, Morgan sings the bridge lines in a hush whisper. As the bridge proceeds, the rest of the band comes back in playing their respective instruments.

Instrumental (4:05 - 5:23)

It was is likely the most beautiful part of the song, the instrumental breakdown of over a minute takes their musicianship to the next level. Cooper taps lightly against the cymbals, with each other instrument increasing in sound with it. The choir of 'ooh's' heard at the beginning of the song return for a few seconds underneath the music, before all instruments stop in sync. The listener can hear the drummer softly tapping the bass drum becoming the only sound hears for about eleven seconds. It slowly builds up until he starts pounding away at his drum kit again. Another set of distorted guitars are heard, as for much of the instrumental solos, the music experiences a lot of sudden beat breaks. The bass joins in last, you can almost visualize Brady picking hard at its strings. Towards the end, anyone with a good music ear can catch a small trace of glockenspiel being played, only for the final seconds of the breakdown.

The radio edit of the song removes much of this instrumental portion.

Chorus (5:24 - 5:52)

The music slows down just a beat, with Morgan rejoining his bandmates, playing some fast-paced chords on his acoustic guitars, as he sings the chorus one last time. Now all his bandmates echo the lyrics behind him, adding a haunting effect to the already eery sounding song. A hint of reverb can be heard in Morgan's voice, as his voice echos along with his bandmates who sing in real-time.

Coda (5:53 - 6:41)

At the final 48 seconds, Morgan sings in a near-speaking matter, never forcing his voice to do any more or less, nor going into falsetto mode. The rest of the band echos a few lines from the chorus over his lines in the coda. With about twenty seconds left, all the singing finishes in a simple matter, the instruments minus the acoustic guitar, still being played. The glockenspiel can once again be heard, in a greater range now. As the song ticks to the end, all instruments slowly fade way until only a static sound is heard echoing for the final six seconds of the song.

Lyrics

[Verse]

I've given up quite a few times, my love
I have tried the lives of the runaways
Make the concrete of an alleyway, my bed
Having dreams of a better day
Can anyone left breathing understand?
I am a simple man made of flesh and bones
I will call you on the telephone
Now all I need from you is to be my stepping stone

[Chorus]

This is the way our story ends
Don't dare say it's been meaningless
We will not take any compromises
Humans fall, and they too, shall rise
You held me and taught me how
For now I am ready
If this is the way our story ends,
Then this is how it's meant to end

[Verse]

Every night when I lay in bed, lacking sleep,
Your memory floods my mind entirely
I will try to live life as an absentee
All I care about is your thin arms reaching out for me
I will burn that bridge we built and draw us a house
Even if we break ground underwater
Commitment is such a threatening sound
But when we reached that wall, we climbed over it

[Chorus]

This is the way our story ends
Don't dare say it's been meaningless
We will not take any compromises
Humans fall, and they too, shall rise
You held me and taught me how
For now I am ready
If this is the way our story ends,
Then this is how it's meant to end

[Bridge]

Beneath my skin, the end fades away
(Cheers to living with no regrets)
I will see you again, one day
(Give me life, don't give me death)
Can anyone ever really say?

[Chorus]

This is the way our story ends
Don't dare say it's been meaningless
We will not take any compromises
Humans fall, and they too, shall rise
You held me and taught me how
For now I am ready
If this is the way our story ends,
Then this is how it's meant to end

[Coda]

May I hold your hand, my dear?
(This is the way our story ends)
At least until the ink has dried
(Don't dare say it's been meaningless)
The love we shared has turned to war
I wish we could keep going in circles
(This is the way our story ends)
Now am I a fool to think
That I can find recovery
(If this is the way our story ends)
Can every single wrong be made right?
(Then this is how it's meant to end)
I always seem to run in circles

We Looked Like Giants
Jason Bradford - guitars, songwriting
Gavin Brady - bass, songwriting
Wilson Cooper - drums, percussion, backing vocals, songwriting
Caleb Morgan - vocals, songwriting

Ryan Ross Hernandez - producer, mixer, recording
Chad Franscoviak - engineer, mastering