By Olivia Pocat
“Two of Us” was written after the death of Louis Tomlinson’s mother, in her memory. This ballad’s lyrics are written with emotion and meaning, a keepsake of the sentiment the singer felt when his mother passed. The beginning of the song features Louis singing, “It’s been a minute since I called you / Just to hear the answer phone”.
To listen to her voice, Louis admits to calling her and waiting for the phone to ring until the voicemail, allowing him to hear the warm greeting and feel comfort in her voice. Louis continues the verse, “The day that they took you / I wish it was me instead”.
He expresses his sadness from the death, really hoping that she was still there. The song depressed him so much that he would rather be the one dead than his mom. The most repeated line in the song, throughout the chorus, is “I’ll be living one life for the two of us”. This lyric is important to the song because it reflects Louis’ love for his mom, where Louis can live “for his mom” and have her with him wherever he goes. In his heart, Louis will always have his mom, even reflecting this with the lyric “You’re written in my DNA”. Louis also gives a hopeful message in the song, expressed through the lyrics “But you once told me ‘Don’t give up / You can do it day by day.’” He shares this hopeful message with the listeners, telling them that even if they go through something hard, they shouldn’t give up, and neither will he.