Mac Miller, Love Lost: the lyrics and their meaning

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Mac Miller is among the artist that the rap scene has been mourning most in the last years: his death in 2018 shocked everybody, and since then, his songs have inspired many fans to go on, valuing life in a new way. In July 2022, a new album came up on the streaming platforms: I Love Life, Thank You, described as “A love letter from Mac to his fans.” There are some new songs and some older tunes that we already knew. Love Lost is one of the most beloved songs he ever made, he wrote it in 2011, and it’s part of the new album. Today we will analyze the lyrics and their meaning, looking for the feelings Mac had in those days.

Below you can find the video shared by Mac Miller’s official Youtube channel for the release of the album, dedicated to Love Lost.

Mac Miller - Love Lost

Love Lost: inside the lyrics and their meaning

Love Lost contains a sample from The Temper Trap song with the same title. The lyrics of the original song talk about a romantic relationship that was broken and then recovered. Mac Miller sings over The Temper Trap’s lines, but in his case, his relationship seems over: his song is about a love relationship that ended for a reason. Let’s see it together.

The chorus of Love Lost perfectly shows the different meanings between the lines from the original song and Mac Miller’s lyrics. Between parenthesis, you find The Temper Trap’s lines; the rest comes from Mac Miller:

(Our love was lost)
Where’d you go? What’d you do?
How the hell you make me fall in love with you?
(But now we’ve found it)
And then you leave, now you’re gone
All I got is this damn song
(And if you flash your heart, oh, heart)
So I can feel but I can’t touch
You said my love was a bit too much
(I won’t deny it)
Broke my heart, can’t find no crutch
So why don’t you come on back home?

Mac Miller is in pain because his girl left him. He loved her so much, and now he’s left with the feelings he had, still solid and lively. While the sampled song celebrates the return of love, he wonders why she had to leave him. The reason is in the song’s verses:

Hey, I’m a f**kin’ workaholic with a passion in my heart
Treatin’ rappin’ as a art in which ya have to be apart of
I just copped a new car to hear it start up
Try to do the right thing and please karma
All I want to know is where the f**k did ya have to go?
I’ve been waitin’ on you, baby
Why don’t you leave and come on home?

His girl seemed disappointed about his dedication to rap music, which apparently took too much space for her. Mac explains that music is his life, he’s appreciated as an artist, he’s developing a relevant career as a rapper, and that excites him. That’s taking most of his time, attention, and dedication, obviously, as a young artist living the moment and making the most out of it.

Though you said you think you love me (You need to let me know)
So I’ve been f**kin’ all these hoes and I’ve been blowin’ all this cash
‘Cause, baby, this just the beginnin’ and I’ma make all of it back

That’s his promise to the girl he loves: I’m doing everything to develop my image as a rapper because I see my potential. But this effort will pay. And when it is the right time, we will spend all the time we want together.

When you feel that everything is going in the right direction and that your efforts are paying off, it’s normal to invest most of your energies in the things that give you all those satisfactions. That’s what Mac Miller was doing in those days. And his girlfriend wasn’t probably aligned with him in this.

They say I’m gettin’ better than I ever been before
Well, that’s for sure, tell ’em what I do
Rap keep me fed like a spoon gettin’ soup
I’ve been out here on the road and now they missin’ me at home
All these ex-girls that I used to know are hittin’ up my phone
But I ain’t here, I guess you can call back
Sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, I think I’ll take all that, haha

Mac Miller is genuinely in love with this girl. He has no interest in the other women who want him; he only wants to put his passion into music. Sadly, this seems to be the reason why she left him. The song’s ending looks like a new awareness that the rapper is acquiring: perhaps, she will never come back. It’s probably time to move on.

Yeah, It gets no better, yeah, It gets no better
Yeah, It gets no better, this shit forever
Get no better, it get no better
Yeah, it get no better, yeah, this shit forever
Bum-bada-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum, ba-dum
You can cut it here and then we’re done

Love Last is a song about a love relationship that ended unfairly. Mac Miller was focusing on his music, and his girlfriend left him because of this extreme dedication. The lyrics of the song have, therefore, a sad meaning. The lines probably have nothing to do with why he developed a drug addiction and died in 2018. They probably relate more to the sentimental dimension he experienced as a young, promising rap star.

Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave

The complete lyrics

(Our love was lost)
Hey, hey, haha (Where’d you go? Where’d you—)
(But now we’ve found it)
Oh yeah, uh (Where’d you go? Where’d you go? Where’d you go?)
(Our love was lost, oh, lost)
Doin’ the happy dance (Where’d you—, where’d you go?)
(And hope was gone)
Doin’ the happy dance (Where’d you go? Haha)
Doin’ the happy dance (Haha, yeah)

(Our love was lost)
Where’d you go? What’d you do?
How the hell you make me fall in love with you?
(But now we’ve found it)
And then you leave, now you’re gone
All I got is this damn song
(And if you flash your heart, oh, heart)
So I can feel but I can’t touch
You said my love was a bit too much
(I won’t deny it)
Broke my heart, can’t find no crutch
So why don’t you come on back home? (Can I spit?)

Hey, I’m a f**in’ workaholic with a passion in my heart
Treatin’ rappin’ as a art in which ya have to be apart of
I just copped a new car to hear it start up
Try to do the right thing and please karma
All I want to know is where the f**k did ya have to go?
I’ve been waitin’ on you, baby
Why don’t you leave and come on home?
I can’t be mad, I’m livin’ my dream (Goin’ all around the globe)
Though you said you think you love me (You need to let me know)
So I’ve been f**kin’ all these hoes and I’ve been blowin’ all this cash
‘Cause, baby, this just the beginnin’ and I’ma make all of it back

(Our love was lost)
Where’d you go? What’d you do?
How the hell you make me fall in love with you?
(But now we’ve found it)
And then you leave, now you’re gone
All I got is this damn song (Hey, hey, hey)
(And if you flash your heart, oh, heart)
So I can feel but I can’t touch (Hey, hey, hey)
You said my love was a bit too much (Hey)
(I won’t deny it)
Broke my heart, can’t find no crutch
So why don’t you come on back home? (Hey)

Hey, hey, It’s all good, everybody tryna eat tonight
Tryna go to sleep, havin’ good dreams tonight
You go home, it might get better
All I know: It don’t last forever
So take it while you got it, try to get a little more
They say I’m gettin’ better than I ever been before
Well, that’s for sure, tell ’em what I do
Rap keep me fed like a spoon gettin’ soup
I’ve been out here on the road and now they missin’ me at home
All these ex-girls that I used to know are hittin’ up my phone
But I ain’t here, I guess you can call back
Sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, I think I’ll take all that, haha

(Our love was lost)
Where’d you go? What’d you do?
How the hell you make me fall in love with you?
(But now we’ve found it)
And then you leave, now you’re gone
All I got is this damn song
(And if you flash your heart, oh, heart)
So I can feel but I can’t touch
You said my love was a bit too much
(I won’t deny it)
Broke my heart, can’t find no crutch
So why don’t you come on back home?

Yeah
Huh-huh, and it gets no better than this
Huh, yeah, it gets no better than this
Yeah, It gets no better, yeah, It gets no better
Yeah, It gets no better, this shit forever
Get no better, it get no better
Yeah, it get no better, yeah, this shit forever
Bum-bada-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum, ba-dum
You can cut it here and then we’re done