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Introduction
"IF YOU LIKE" opens with a tease: everything you crave is supposedly right here, yet a stubborn disbelief lingers. Inner Wave builds the track on that inner contradiction, letting encouragement and skepticism circle each other like sparring partners.
Verse 1
“Take, everything you wanted is allowed / Seeing is believing if you try”
The speaker starts as a motivational voice, waving the listener toward abundance. The verbs are brisk—“Take,” “Seeing”—pushing action over hesitation. But the pep-talk tone is fragile, hinting that freedom exists only if one can force themselves to trust it. The tension taps into themes of self-limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome.
“It’s all there for the taking if you like, but you don’t believe it”
The final clause undercuts the entire offer. Desire collides with doubt, suggesting that opportunity means nothing without inner conviction. The line doubles as a mirror: the narrator might be chastising themselves as much as anyone else.
Pre-Chorus
“Right, we’ll see if you make me tick / No more forgetting this”
The mood shifts from coaxing to confrontational. “Make me tick” frames fulfillment as a challenge—can the other person spark something authentic, or will apathy win again? The promise to stop “forgetting” signals a pivot toward accountability, sharpening the emotional stakes.
Verse 2
“Take, everything you wanted is a lie / See it in your eyes, don’t hesitate”
The mantra returns twisted. What was “allowed” in Verse 1 becomes “a lie,” exposing how quickly optimism can flip to cynicism. The narrator catches the disbelief “in your eyes,” spotlighting how body language betrays hidden fears. The verse broadens the theme from external opportunity to internal narrative: sometimes the real lie is the one we tell ourselves about our own unworthiness.
Chorus
“I’m waiting for the day / Waiting for the light / Is it ever ever ever gonna be fine?”
The chorus suspends the track in a restless loop. Repetition of “ever” stretches time like chewing gum, reflecting the ache of indefinite anticipation. The “light” stands for clarity, relief, maybe self-acceptance, but the lingering question mark keeps the payoff just out of reach. It captures the universal dread that even when conditions improve, peace might still evade us.
Bridge
“Oh even when it’s safe / Does it provide? / Does it strip away?”
Here the narrator interrogates security itself. Safety could nourish or suffocate—both possibilities are laid bare. The ambivalence echoes the earlier push-pull: wanting stability yet fearing it might dull the spark. It’s a meditation on desire versus contentment, asking whether comfort can coexist with authenticity.
Outro
“Is it ever ever ever gonna be?”
The song leaves us on an unfinished sentence, a cliffhanger where belief is still pending. By refusing resolution, Inner Wave turns the listener back toward their own uncertainties, hinting that the answer won’t arrive from outside.
Conclusion
“IF YOU LIKE” maps the jittery terrain between possibility and disbelief. Inner Wave layers invitations with disclaimers, urging us to grab what we want while acknowledging how hard that grab can be. The track’s unanswered questions act as a mirror: are we bold enough to trust the good things when they appear, or will we keep waiting for proof that may never come?
