by The National · 2024
The song ‘About Today’ by The National is about a moment of emotional distance and disconnection between two people, reflecting on the fear and uncertainty of losing someone important and the regret of not communicating more openly.
This song has been Shazamed over 1,359,657 times. As of this writing, About Today is ranked 145
‘About Today’ by The National is a song about wondering if you’re losing someone you care about. We’ll talk about the feelings, words, and meaning behind the music. ⬇️
️ From the very first notes, the song wraps us in a soft, gray mist of sadness and longing. The world it paints is quiet, slow, and heavy with unspoken words, like a rainy afternoon where time nearly stands still.
The chorus aches with repetition—”How close am I to losing you?”—a question that feels too big, too raw, almost like it’s echoing inside a cavernous, empty room. We hear the uncertainty, the fear that love might quietly slip away when we’re not looking, and it stings because we’ve all been there—caught in the moment between hope and heartbreak. Each time we ask ourselves if things are really okay, or if we’ve already missed our chance to make things right, we feel the weight of what’s left unsaid.
️ In the verses, simple lines like “You were far away, and I didn’t ask you why” and “I just watched you slip away” reveal the real story: two people drifting apart, paralyzed by their own silence. There’s something haunting about the narrator’s passivity, the way he stands still as love moves further and further out of reach—almost like watching a train depart without ever running after it, even though you want to. That late-night question, “Can I ask you about today?” feels desperate and tender, one last attempt to bridge the growing distance before it’s too late.
At its core, ‘About Today’ is less about the specifics of a breakup and more about that universal human feeling—the ache of realizing you might be losing something precious, not with a bang, but with a whisper, a fade, a quiet slipping away.
The real epiphany hits when we understand that sometimes, the greatest heartbreak comes not from loud arguments or slammed doors, but from the silent spaces where love quietly unravels and we’re left holding nothing but questions.
Writer(s) of About Today: Matthew D. Berninger, Aaron Brooking Dessner
