Exile ~ Folklore

A Zarry perspective

Tbh I wasn't actually planning to put this analysis because I thought everyone will be able to draw the clues on their own but unfortunately the meaning and the lyrics convey something else to the majority. So let's try this.

Exile is the 4th track from Tay's folklore album. It's one of the best songs in there and I can't get enough of it. Majorly because our dear WB wrote it. The emotions flowing through the song and lyrics are beyond any average human mind can cope with.

Before going further, here's Tay saying something about Exile. Please go through this.

A few points to be noted down here.

1. “[It] was written about miscommunication in relationships and in the case of this song I imagine that the miscommunications ended the relationship.”

2. They KEEP miscommunicating, they can't quite get on the same page, they never could.

3. Two side story, beginning his and second side hers, sort of like an ARGUMENT.

4. Tay is really stoked how the song has turned out!! Wow!

I'll just put forward my thoughts based on these facts. A certain couple broke up since they had miscommunications. Now after breaking up, they're trying to reconcile, pointing out each other's mistakes and arguing that the other party did wrong.

Both of them blaming each other than themselves. Usual couple behaviour. Ever watched the movie Marriage Story? So yeah.. this couple is trying to make it work by blaming each other. More like a usual behaviour between them. They run in circles.

Imo,Exile is a song about Zarry break up/patch up during and after 2015 in the Zarry timeline narrated in folklore.The conversation after the both of them having is quite relevant.Exile is co-written by WB/Z, means Z knows what kinda argument they both had trying to make it work

So it was easy for him to write both his and H's POVs. Why I think it's from the past, that is precisely post 2015?You'll understand this once this thread is over. Analysing the song verse by verse.Only giving you the general narrative. Here Justin's verse is H's and Tay's is Z's

You know this portion very very well. You know what it conveys. Honey is something Harry used in Adore You to refer to his "fish". Brown skinned fish. His golden love with honey coloured eyes.
“Just let me adore you
Oh, honey” ~ Harry, Adore You

Harry's pov is using the exact same addressing because that's something he always calls Z. Z knows this and he's repeating this.

And,
“And it took you five whole minutes
To pack us up and leave me with it
Holdin' all this love out here in the hall”

When Z left 1D, he didn't just leave the band. He left the love of his life, H along with it. They broke up. Harry wrote songs about those traumatic events. Meet Me In The Hallway and Only Angel tell you this exact theme, which he wrote back in 2015 and 2016.

Harry says his lover left him in the hallway all alone in MMITH. The same hall which is coming in Exile as well. Both these verses convey the same theme. Someone saying their lover left them in the hallway. This is why I'm telling you this is Harry's verse.

This verse from MMITH tells us Harry's hope that maybe they'll work their relationship out. Maybe they'll be back again. That is post 2015 break up and they met up. And what does Exile's theme say? They're working it out, through arguments.

Harry's lover and him don't talk about their issues or their relationship. It's something they don't do/ something they ALWAYS never do. Clear miscommunication. Now I hope you've an idea why Exile is aligned with the 2015 break up timeline.

Moving on to the next verse. I see that this is the verse that confuses everyone and makes them think this is their present timeline. You've every reason to think so. That's exactly why I established why Exile is 2015 break up and post scenarios

“You're not my homeland anymore
So what am I defendin' now?
You were my town
Now I'm in exile seein' you out”

These lyrics don't mean they're in exile now. This is a conversation they had back in 2015.

When Z left H was left alone in the hallway begging for morphine to take the pain he was feeling. H was depressed. He changed. Everything about him changed. He called for a hiatus. He didn't care about anything else anymore, just wanted to join Z.

Look at the lyrics in IICF and Olivia. So yes, H was in exile here. He was not there in Z's life anymore. He was in exile "seeing Z out". That is,

“Say what you're feeling and say it now
'Cause I got the feeling you're walking out” ~ Harry, Olivia

Z walked out. H saw him out.

Again honey. Something they call each other. Just like they called each other babe many a time.

“Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me”

Where have we heard this before?

“I got splinters in my knuckles crawling across the floor” ~ Harry, Only Angel

Harry got splinters in his knuckles for his lover. Harry recorded Only Angel back in 2016, which means he wrote it around 2015/2016. Exile literally goes hand in hand with Only Angel and MMITH.

“Second, third and hundredth chances”

Running in circles. They broke up many times till they finally parted in ways in 2015. If you watch Zarry interaction back in 2012/13/14, you can clearly see at times how distant they were at times.

This doesn't mean they broke up. This means they were giving each other more chances. Since this is Tay's (Z) PoV, here Z is telling how many chances he gave to Harry. That is how many times he wanted to make this work.

When Z left, was H the only one who was in Exile? No. Z described in his autobiography that he was "adrift" after leaving 1D. He didn't feel so great about particularly anything.

“So who am I offending now?
You were my crown, now I'm in exile seein' you out”.