Lyric discussion by ashlove 

Cover art for Do I Wanna Know? lyrics by Arctic Monkeys

This song absolutely kills me- every line is laced with such pure desire and longing. He is infatuated, almost in a lust-filled fever: 'I dreamt about you nearly every night this week' or 'there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat until I fall asleep'. He just can't get her out of his head.

I don't think they were ever together exclusively. Maybe they were on the verge of something more, and they'd say stuff to each other ('baby we both know that the nights were mainly made for things you can't say tomorrow day…') At one point he knew she liked him back ('been wondering if your heart's STILL open..')

Something happened though, but he's still stuck on her. She is all he can think of, sober or drunk, and he just wants to know if she feels the same way.

Often with this type of obsession you turn the other person into something they are not or something they can never live up to. That's why he asks 'do I wanna know if this feeling goes both ways?' Does he face getting his feelings turned down? Or even worse, might he realise that she is not the person he has made her to be in his head?

There is a sick, exquisite kind of pain that comes with loving or lusting after someone you can't have. this song perfectly encapsulates that.

My Interpretation

great interpretation.

I was in a situation exactly like this and the song perfectly describes how I felt. You hit it right on the head.

@ashlove I totally agree. I think she has a tendency to come-on to him when shes out partying or drunk.