Loose Ends

**Producer(s)** | Clampitt

**Loose Ends** is a song by Ashe and is the tenth track on her album *Rae*.

It is an atmospheric acoustic guitar track with a tinge of folk and delicate warm layered harmonies, with background whistles and harmonicas adding to the folk sound.

## Background

"Loose Ends" has been reviewed as "At first, this song seemed like a gentle lull in the high energy of the album. Hanging back as track 10, [...] it doesn’t hit you with a blast of harmonies like some of the earlier tracks, and it doesn’t build in pace until you’re compelled to dance. It sounds like a soft little lament. A little reflection on circumstances. It’s beautiful. The line that really cemented it for me is ‘*Love is a game that you let me lose — I would’ve stayed if you asked me to.*’ Damn".

## Meaning

This song is about expressing how people can mask love by being in a relationship without being satisfied with it, and how one looks for an excuse to stay even though they both know it's best to call it off. However, the song deals with how this can be a hard decision that hurts. "Loose Ends" captures the emotional aftermath of a failed relationship, the struggle to find direction, and the longing for closure and resolution.

## Lyrics

[Intro]

I'll pretend, I don't know if I'll break or bend

Trippin' up over my loose ends

"Ooh, what if it's like..."

[Verse 1]

I can't tell where or when

But I lost myself

Left behind what I could not sell

Sleepless nights in a cheap hotel

'Spite all the pain that you put me through

I would've stayed if you asked me to

Oh, my, my

[Verse 2]

Can't you see?

You told yourself that it's meant to be

After a while, even you fooled me

An honest face on a fake ID

Love is a game that you let me lose

I would've stayed if you asked me to

Oh, my, my

[Chorus]

I-I-I don't know

What I'll do or where I will go

Can't stay here, and I can't go home

Looking for some kind of sign

I-I-I'm afraid

Can't go back to the mess I made

I'll pretend 'til the memories fade

Or 'til I run out of time

I-I-I, I-I-I

[Verse 3]

I'll pretend

But I don’t know if I'll break or bend

Tripping up over my loose ends

I can't talk to all my old friends

They've all run out of sympathy

I don't blame them giving up on me

Oh, my, my

[Chorus]

I-I-I don't know

What I'll do or where I will go

Can't stay here, and I can't go home

Looking for some kind of sign

I-I-I'm afraid

Can't go back to the mess I made

I'll pretend 'til the memories fade

Or 'til I run out of time

I-I-I

I-I-I

I-I-I, ooh-ooh

I-I-I

[Outro]

I can't tell where or when

But I lost myself

I left behind what I could not sell

Sleepless nights in a cheap hotel

'Spite all the pain that you put me through

I would've stayed if you asked me to

Oh, my, my

## Trivia

* "Loose Ends" is possibly the saddest song on *Rae*.
	+ Its lyrics detail a snapshot of somebody's life who was outcast by who they knew (their partner, friends, and family), and out of where they called home with nowhere to go and no possessions with them.
		- It is unknown whether Ashe refers to herself in this song.

* The song references Ashe's ex-husband in the lines "I left behind what I could not sell/Sleepless nights in a cheap hotel".
	+ She also does in these other *Rae* songs: "Another Man's Jeans", "Hope You're Not Happy", and "It Can't Be You".
	+ And from *Ashlyn*: "Love Is Not Enough", "When I'm Older", "Me Without You", "Save Myself", "Not Mad Anymore", and "Moral Of The Story".

* This song uses a saved voicenote audio as its intro.
	+ Other songs that use a saved voicenote audio are "Count On Me" and "Ryne's Song", both as their outros.

* Ashe has said that the whistle at the beginning of the song is reminiscent of the beginning of the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film *Kill Bill: Volume 1*.

## Navigation

 Rae Tracklist

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20221014130005/https://thehoneypop.com/2022/10/14/rae-a-drop-of-golden-sun-ashes-sophomore-album-is-a-triumph/
2. ↑ https://juliet-citymouse.medium.com/rae-by-ashe-album-review-e29d3b8a21f6
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://lasallefalconer.com/2022/11/rae-by-ashe-an-alternative-album-that-should-be-in-your-playlist/
4. ↑ https://www.songtell.com/ashe/loose-ends
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHbqXBf23w