can we talk about the fact that golden is about waking up next to louis but also about how harry knows louis is gonna wait for him even if louis gets insecure about coming out?

here's a thread breaking down "golden", one of the best songs in fine line.

first of all: this is just a theory i came up with. i'm a larrie, so i see things in the perspective of h and l in a relationship. if you're an anti or doesn't believe in them, there's no point of reading it. this is your cue to go back to the timeline and keep scrolling.

that being said: let's see what harry probably wanted to say with the lyrics <3

"golden, as i open my eyes"
harry talks about the feeling of waking up next to louis. lou is harry's sun; when they wake up next to each other, harry sees louis and... he feels golden. he feels golden because louis is bright, brilliant. H's golden hour is whenever he's next to L

"hold it, focus, hoping"
as harry opens his eyes, still sleepy, he sees louis and tries to focus on him. louis is what grounds him. he knows he's waking up next to his person, and he feels safe. so he focus on louis, takes a good look at him. it makes he feel safe and hopeful.

"take me back to the light"
harry's feelings hit him. he realizes he relies on louis for everything. whenever he feels lost, h goes to him, hoping L will make him feel himself again. make him go back to the light, even when he's too invested on his dark thoughts and insecurities.

"i know you were way too bright for me"
harry doesn't feel worthy sometimes. worthy of louis or his love — he's too bright. louis is the sun, he's always shining: what does that leave to harry? he's down here admiring him in the sky. he feels like an spectator, not an equal.

the interest thing is, harry doesn't blame louis. he's aware these insecurities are his and his only, and louis has nothing to do with it. if anything, he's always trying to help harry. but a person doesn't cure another's feelings, not completely: just makes it feel bearable.

"i'm hopeless, broken"
harry sometimes feels like he's not worthy (not just talking about love, but about everything); even anxious, i risk to say. it's hard to see the bright side of things when he feels like this.

this line probably talks about the crisis on their relationship too. more specifically, when he and louis talk about coming out. harry feels hopeless because he wants so bad to show the world louis is his love, but louis is afraid.

"so you wait for me in the sky"
is there a more beautiful metaphor? louis is harry's sun, so he will wait for him in the sky. he will always be there. at night, the sun shines through the moon — it never goes away. harry KNOWS louis will always be there and make him feel better.

louis will wait for harry even when he feels overwhelmed by everything, when he feels like harry is pushing too hard, asking too much. louis will be pacient and wait for him because he loves harry.

"brown my skin just right, you're so golden"
because harry feels like he's always looking up at louis in the sky, always after him, he eventually gets burned — but it's just the right amount. it's enough to make him feel alive. it's enough to make him feel grounded.

"i don't wanna be alone, when it ends"
harry's insecurities are back. he doesn't want to lose louis — he feels like if he does, he will end up alone. 'when it ends' it's probably about his own life. so he's afraid that when everything it's said and done, he won't have louis.

"don't wanna let you know"
harry doesn't wanna talk about it with louis, he's scared. he knows these things are just in his head, tries not to let them get into him, but they do. he doesn't wanna talk about it because he knows louis will be upset.

harry won't ever be alone because he's got louis. and louis will always, ALWAYS, reassure this to harry no matter what.

"i can feel it take a hold"
harry feels all these feeling taking a hold of him, filling his head. he feels overwhelmed, tired of seeing things so negatively.

"i can feel you take control of who i am and all i ever known"
loving is terrifying. harry is afraid he's too invested in it, that louis is such a huge part of him that he is now a part of who he is, of his personality, and that it somehow defines him. he's scared.

they known each other for a decade — and probably love each other for the same amount of time. louis is all harry knows about true love, they been through so much things and discover the world side by side. louis is in every memory harry has for the last 10 years.

"loving you is the antidote"
no matter happens or what harry thinks, deep down harry knows loving louis is one of the things that keeps him going. it makes him feel alive. whenever he feels insecure, he remembers louis loves him back.

"i'm out of my head and i know that you're scared because hearts get broken"
louis feels insecure too, sometimes. he's afraid to break his heart and to break harry's if they don't work out. harry tries to reassure louis of their love, tries to come up with the right thing to say.

"i know that you're scared because i'm so open"
harry wants to tell the world about them. he needs it. he's open to talk about it, but louis is scared. this is harry saying: hey, it's gonna be okay. i understand your feelings. we will work this out.

bonus: golden's original lyrics (bridge)

"he's golden, he's broken, he's golden and i hope someday you'll open"

here, harry says he knows none of them are perfect. louis is broken too, and that's okay. like louis waits for him, he will wait for louis.

harry hopes louis will be "open" too, someday, so they can finally tell the world about their love.

the song is a full circle: it starts with a situation and it comes to harry talking about all his feelings coming at him at once. his insecurities, fears. how louis waits for him. and in the end, he tells he will wait for louis too.

it's a perfect song about true, real love.