Ricky Montgomery
Along with Mitski, Ricky Montgomery is another name in the indie and alternative rock community. You might know him from this song, or “Mr. Loverman”.
Although his songs aren’t as focused on sadness like Mitski’s, they share a theme of love and loss.
About the Song
“Line Without a Hook” is the second song on Ricky Montgomery’s 2016 album, “Montgomery Ricky”. The title possibly symbolizes the phrase ‘line without a hook’, which basically means something or someone is useless (because a fishing line without a hook can’t catch any fish).
My Interpretation
I don’t really give a crap about the way you touch me when we’re alone/You can hold my hand if no one’s home..
The speaker is saying that he doesn’t care about anything else besides his lover (the subject) when they’re together, but it has to stay between them.
Do you like it when I’m away?/ If I went and hurt my body baby, would you love me the same?…
The speaker asks the subject if they truly want and care for him, no matter the circumstance. Will he be any less important if he gets hurt, or, leaves for a while? Would they feel any different at all?
I can feel all my bones coming back and I’m craving motion/Mama never really learned how to live by herself..
The speaker feels alive and wants to move around and do things when the subject is around. The subject gives him a sense of purpose. His bones and body represent his soul (Ricky has stated the second part of this verse doesn’t mean anything, but I believe it symbolizes the speaker not being able to live by himself without the subject).
It’s a curse, and it’s growing/You’re a pond and I’m an ocean, oh..
The speaker feels that his love and passion towards her is a curse, and however hard he tries, it keeps growing. The subject’s love seems smaller in comparison to the speaker’s love, as they’re a “pond” and he’s and “ocean”. He believes that the subject doesn’t love him as much as he loves them.
[Verse 2]
All my emotions feel like explosions when you are around/And I’ve found a way to kill the sound, oh..
This phrase is a passionate expression of the speaker’s true undying love towards the subject. He can’t control how much he loves them, no matter how hard he tries, but he’s also trying to ignore it and seem uninterested in the other (he’s killing the sound of the explosion).
[Chorus]
Oh, baby, I am a wreck when I’m without you/I need you here to stay/I broke all my bones that day I found you/Crying at the lake..
The speaker feels like he’s worth nothing and can’t handle himself without the subject and needs them to stay stable. When he saw them crying over their ruined relationship, every inch of his soul shattered. He can’t stand seeing them cry, especially since he thinks it’s his own fault.
Was it something I said to make you feel like you’re a burden?/Oh, and if I could take it all back I swear that I../Would pull you from the tide..
He’s sorry that he ruined the relationship and builds on his belief that he caused all this turmoil. If he could take it back, he would have saved their relationship at any cost, which in this play on words, is saving them from a tsunami or large wave (adding on to the parallel that water symbolizes emotions).
Oh, woah woah woah/I said no, (I said no) I said no/Listen close, it’s a no..
The speaker never wanted them to break up, and he wants the subject to know that. They asked him if he wanted to split, and this is what he said. However, their heart didn’t hear him and left anyway.
The wind is-a pounding on my back/And I’ve found hope in a heart attack..
He has his back turned to all the red flags he’s seeing in the subject. He doesn’t care that his mind is screaming at him to leave. He’s found hope in avoidance of his common sense, despite the pain he’s feeling due to this. He knows they’re hurting too, and is hoping he can relieve it by staying with her. This “heart attack” is his emotional heart dying.
Oh at last, it is past/Now I’ve got it, and you can’t have it..
The speaker now believes that what happened is in the past, and now he has a goal in mind to get them back. This lyric sounds bitter and self celebratory, which is a common undertone in this song. He’ll have their heart.
The chorus repeats, with a new energized flourish. But with the last lyrics, it sounds condescending and almost egotistical. This relationship is clearly doomed, but he pushed past that since he believes he can fix it.
Darling, when I’m fast asleep,/I’ve seen this person watching me/Saying, “Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Tell me, is it worth it?” Oh-oh…
He admits that at his most vulnerable time (when he’s asleep) he questions whether ignoring his senses is a correct choice. This person is his inner conscience. The speaker is questioning whether it’s worth it to keep fighting for the subject when they’re clearly not fighting back for his love. This bitter sounding lyric adds onto the growing negative tone in the song.
The speaker holds out his last note, transitioning to a more calm tone. The instrumental is minimalistic, each beat underneath his words.
‘Cause there is something and there is nothing,/There is nothing in-between..
He states that there is either or, there’s no maybe in love. At the same time, the speaker is also saying that they either have a relationship or they don’t. There’s a possibility that the speaker and the subject can be together, but it’s just as likely as them being nothing.
And in my eyes, there is a tiny dancer watching over me/He’s singing, “she’s a, she’s a lady, and I am just a boy..”/He’s singing, “she’s a, she’s a lady and I am just a line without a—“
The speaker admits his insecurities, the dancer also representing his conscience. He feels insignificant and small, like a small boy, in the face of his lover, the subject. They’re grown, yet he’s still a child. At last he reveals that he feels useless. He’s a “line without a hook”. He’s useless without the subject.
For the last time, the chorus repeats, now sounding desperate and emotional. The speaker draws out his words, creating a sad and mournful sound. He wants to prove how much he means to them with this song, and he needs to show them how much he cares. But, he’s finally realizing he won’t get her back.
To summarize, the song “Line Without a Hook” is about a man struggling to expressing his intense feelings of passion to his lover. However, their relationship is clearly doomed and the subject has no intention of wanting him back. He spirals into a fit of desperation and arrogance as he tries to convince himself that he can fix their relationship, when it’s not actually possible.
This beautiful, passionate song is much more than just a trendy Tik Tok song. It has deep meaning and deals with love and heartbreak. Again, I highly encourage you to check this song out, as well as Ricky Montgomery himself. Thanks for reading!