Introduction
Snow Patrol’s song “You are all I have” can be thought of as a reflection of post-industrial individual’s existential mode, who thinks of love as such that closely relates to the concept of comfort (“Under your skin feels like home”), rather than to an irrational passion, as it used to be the case in comparatively recent times. Given the fact that nowadays men are taught to be ashamed of their masculinity, it comes as no surprise that “You are all I have” contains motifs that are destructive to men’s ego, as the singer clearly associates happiness with the process of being deprived of its individuality, by the mean of becoming one with the object of his love:
“There is a darkness deep in you
A frightening magic I cling to.”
Main body
There are two types of men: those who derive pleasure out of “spreading the seed”, as the process that has value in itself, and those who derive masochistic pleasure from ceasing to exist, as a sovereign individual, after being fully domesticated. The members of Snow Patrol clearly belong to the second type of men, as their song “You are all I have” declare their intention to “hold on” to the object of their love, despite the counter-productive properties of such love:
“You’re cinematic razor sharp
A welcome arrow through the heart.”
Just as a male spider, who gets to be eaten by a female spider, after having performed an “act of love” to her, the singer fully realizes the dangers, associated with romancing the subject of his affection:
“I’ve got to see you one last night
Before the lions take their share
Leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere.”
Yet, he does not mind them. In fact, he welcomes these dangers, as his subconscious feeling of its own worthlessness causes him to seek the meaning of his existence in the sheer intensity of his life experiences. It appears that being close to the object of his affection deprives the singer of his ability to understand the full spectrum of possible consequences, associated with it:
“It’s so clear now that you are all that I have
I have no fear cos you are all that I have.”
Apparently, there are good reasons for the singer to have these “fears” in the first place. However, he prefers not to notice them, probably due to the fact that he is simply incapable of addressing them in the way they deserve to be addressed. In its turn, this can be explained by the singer’s clear affiliation with Generation X, representatives of which are being largely deprived of an understanding of what such concepts as intellectual integrity, physical beauty, and willpower stand for. This is the reason why the part:
“Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Give me a chance to hold on
Just give me something to hold onto.”
Is being repeated three times, throughout the song, while sounding like some sort of irrational prayer. The singer does not understand the simple fact that something “given” has no value, especially when we talk of love. Love cannot be “given”, it can only be “won”, on the part of men. A man who strives to be loved by a woman should never be saying “give me something to hold onto”, because it automatically deprives him of a woman’s respect, and without respect, there can be no love. Therefore, we can say that the singer clearly confuses the concept of love with the concept of pity. He wants to be pitied because for him, it probably represents even a bigger thrill than getting “electric shocks on aching bones”, as a part of lovemaking. In its turn, this points out at singer as an individual affected by the psychological complex of narcissism. Psychiatrists are well aware of the fact that narcissists often act as masochists, which explains why song incorporates strong tragic overtones, despite the fact that it is being accompanied by rather frivolous music.
The singer wants to be perceived as an overly sensitive and feminine individual because, in his mind, this can win him a woman’s affection. But it is not his existential femininity that might attract women, but the fact that “You are all I have” implies the singer’s subconscious intention to be fully subjected to a woman’s control. Every woman considers herself as being “unique”, even if such “uniqueness” consists of her ability to consume French fries by tons. This is why “big and beautiful” women seem to like “You are all I have” the most (as seen on YouTube), since it appeals to the essence of their sense of self-esteem, as such who are capable of turning a “life long partner” into a “money making machine”, just as female spiders are capable of cannibalizing their male lovers, with masochistic men actually associating such metamorphosis with a sexual thrill.
Conclusion
Thus, we can say that “You are all I have” corresponds to the process of men becoming increasingly feminine, as opposed to the process of women becoming increasingly masculine, which in its turn, defines the essence of socio-political dynamics in the modern world.