As It Was Lyrics - Harry Styles

There are a few different interpretations of Harry Styles' "As It Was." Some say that the track is not actually about a romantic interest, and instead is based on his relationship with the music industry. Others believe that the track may be, at least in part, based on a real-life romance Harry is involved in with American actress Olivia Wilde. No matter who the true addressee of the track is, one thing is for sure: Harry Styles has us all thinking with this one.

{Intro}
Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you

{Verse No. 1}
Holdin' me back
Gravity's holdin' me back
I want you to hold out the palm of your hand
Why don't we leave it at that?
Nothin' to say
When everything gets in the way
Seems you cannot be replaced
And I'm the one who will stay, oh-oh-oh

The beginning lyrics of As It Was show Harry Styles' deep yearning for companionship, and how despite his efforts, something always gets in the way. It's as if everything he does pushes people away instead of bringing them closer. Some fans have interpreted the line "When everything gets in the way" to mean that Harry's actions are what stand between him and forming real human connections.

It's important to Harry Styles to form connections with people, but he still hasn't found the best way to establish those connections just yet. Based on the music video for his track "As it Was," the meaning of the lyrics see him walking with a lot of people but suddenly feeling something pulling him back from them. He then finds himself in a room alone with someone, which could symbolize him finding that connection he's been looking for.

{Verse No. 2}
Answer the phone
"Harry, you're no good alone
Why are you sitting at home on the floor?
What kind of pills are you on?"
Ringin' the bell
And nobody's coming to help
Your daddy lives by himself
He just wants to know that you're well, oh-oh-oh

The second lyrics of the track tell us that some people who are bored from life use drugs and other substances to cope. In these lyrics, the vocalist knocks on a door, hoping for companionship but no one comes. This represents how we can feel alone in our lives sometimes, not knowing how to make connections with other people. In the music video for "As It Was", at Stanza 2, Harry and the choreographers strip themselves, which is symbolic of not hiding anything from each other.

It speaks on the fact that if we want to really connects with people; we have to be like a glass they can see through. Symbolically, we should be willing to strop ourselves of all the things that shroud us from forming relationships with them. By the time the chorus of "As It Was" comes in again, both Harry Styles and the woman form connections again. They hug and lay on the floor, but they lose connections and the woman walks away. The floor drifts them apart and they are kind of like in a parallel line, running in the circle.

{Verse No. 3}
Burning in a hopeless dream
Hold me when you go to sleep
Keep me safe
We need light, we need love

Stanza Three of As it was is shorter than the other stanzas and seems to serve as more of an outro. This is likely because it does not contain enough vocals or extended meaning to distinguish it as a separate stanza. Still, it discusses how the internet contributes to why people can't form connections. The heart-breaking thing at the end is that Harry Styles does not make a connection at the end of the music video, or at the end of the track.

{Chorus}
(Lift me up) Lift me up in your arms
(Hold me down) I need love, I need love, I need love
(Keep me close) Hold me, hold me
(Safe and sound) Hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
(Lift me up) Hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
(Hold me down) Hold me, hold me
(Keep me safe) We need light, we need love

The chorus of Harry Styles' track "As It Was" seems to be talking about how the world has changed for the worse in terms of human connection. It used to be easy to form real relationships with others, but now it is probably difficult if people don't make a conscious effort to do so. It's almost as if the world is now preventing people from having real relationships with each other.

The lyrics of Harry Styles' "As It Was" are about two people trying to connect with each other. In the music video, we see Harry and the woman in the room together, and he tries to hold her hands but they eventually go apart. This is symbolic of the fact that they are struggling to form a connection. The lyrics "As It Was" reflect the idea that we all have our own personal issues to deal with. Even though they try to work things out by hugging, the connection is still hindered. This is symbolized by the lady sliding out of the circle at the end of the chorus in Harry Styles' track, "As It Was."

The Complete Lyrics
[Intro]
Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you

{Verse No. 1}
Holdin' me back
Gravity's holdin' me back
I want you to hold out the palm of your hand
Why don't we leave it at that?
Nothin' to say
When everything gets in the way
Seems you cannot be replaced
And I'm the one who will stay, oh-oh-oh
{Chorus}
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was
You know it's not the same

{Verse No. 2}
Answer the phone
"Harry, you're no good alone
Why are you sitting at home on the floor?
What kind of pills are you on?"
Ringin' the bell
And nobody's coming to help
Your daddy lives by himself
He just wants to know that you're well, oh-oh-oh

{Chorus}
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was
You know it's not the same

{Bridge}
Go home, get ahead, light-speed internet
I don't wanna talk about the way that it was
Leave America, two kids follow her
I don't wanna talk about who's doin' it first

[Outro]
(Hey)
As it was
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was