Blending jazz elements with modern pop, Laufey’s popularity has been rapidly expanding with her third album, A Matter of Time, being nominated for a Grammy. One of the songs on the album, “Too Little, Too Late,” has familiar musical elements from previous songs and a powerful meaning that many listeners appreciate. Written from a male point of view, it describes one losing their opportunity to be with another and mourning it years later. The following will be my interpretation of the song’s lyrics.

“The whole town is talking about how you’ve fallen in love

I read in the papers he’s someone that girls dream about”

Some kind of ruler, on top of a kingdom

I’m just a jester, I’ll never be him”

The narrator only thinks about a past love through rumors; he thinks that his beloved has fallen in love with someone that no one can compete with, and her fate is settled. Yearning to be someone he’s not, the narrator describes the man with her as perfection.

“Last night, you called me

It almost killed me

To hear you scream my name

Your smile still kills the same”

The narrator has been trying to move on from his relationship with the girl, but her calling him–most likely as an invitation to her wedding, as shown later in the song–reminds him of everything they’ve been through and stabs a dagger through his heart. His description of her smile emphasizes that he valued even the smallest things about her. In the song, the pace begins to pick up here, creating a sense of urgency.

“I almost turned around

You chased me to the ground

You asked me how I’ve been

But how do I begin

To tell you I should’ve chased you

‘Cross every state?”

Reminiscing about what he and the girl had, the narrator doesn’t know how to react now that he’s talking to her. He doesn’t know what to say or what to do; he only knows that he can yearn for what he wishes they had. His saying that he should’ve chased her across every state further highlights how badly he wishes he had fought harder for her. 

“I lay down my sword for fate

‘Cause it’s too little, way too late”

This is a powerful metaphor, showing vulnerability within the narrator. He doesn’t plan to continue trying; he acknowledges that he can’t change the past and how he should’ve tried harder to stay with this girl whom he loves.

“I didn’t need the reminder of things I’ve done wrong

Of promises broken, fragility hidden in song”

He returns to reminiscing about what he had with the girl, wondering what he could’ve done and all the wrong decisions he’s made to lose her. The original melancholic pace returns, in a very similar chord progression as Laufey’s “Promise,” but faster than before, further symbolizing time running out.

“Guess that we’re soulmates in different lifetimes”

This line is heartbreaking, the admission that the narrator will never be with the girl he loves, leaving it to the universe to give it to him in another life.

“What if you leave him

Throw me a lifeline?

I know that you’re happy

But it just kills me”

He feels the direction of his life has spiraled down, as if the only remedy would be to be with her despite knowing he can’t. He hates to see that she’s with someone else and has no chance of getting her back.

“To hear you scream my name

A clear…X-ray

Of if I’d stayed around

I swear to god I almost drowned”

The chorus is changed to reveal the depth of how badly this has affected him, and the specific wording of drowning emphasizes how it hurts him so much he can breathe, as if he’s stuck. The building of the beat returns.

“You asked me how I’ve been”

But how could I begin

To tell you I should’ve chased you

I should be who you’re engaged to”

The climax of the song arrives; the narrator doesn’t think of telling her anything else besides that he wants her, admitting it to himself that he belongs with only her, even though that isn’t how it played out. In this part previously, the building of the pace ceased here, but now it continues.

“Lost my fight with fate

A tug-of-war of leave and stay”

This metaphor highlights the conflict in the mind of the narrator, deciding whether or not he should try and try to be with her anyway or leave her be. He’s lost what the world has set up for him, but he doesn’t know whether or not to stop trying.

“I give in, I abdicate

I lay my sword down anyway”

Again with the strong metaphor, the narrator decides to give up. He lets fate do as it played out and gives up, aching that he could never be with her. 

“I’ll see you at Heaven’s gate

‘Cause it’s too little, way too late”

He regrets doing what he knows is right, and the allusion to Heaven emphasizes that he’ll live with this regret until death, regretting that he hadn’t done enough, regretting wrong actions, regretting not chasing her. The pacing drops back to the original pacing here, showing an end of trying.

“I’ll toast outside your wedding day

Whisper vows I’ll never say to you

‘Cause it’s too little, all too late”

She’s now a distant dream for the narrator, but he continues to reminisce about their time together, wishing that they could still be together. Deciding to show up to the wedding–the vows are heard in the song–he’s heartbroken as he watches his chance lock the door, looking over how he got here one last time before the song closes.