Storytelling as an Artform in Noah Kahan's "We'll All Be Here Forever"

Strawberry Wine

Strawberry Wine is about being unable to let go of an unhealthy relationship. The first verse -
Darling, speak to me, but don’t you say a word
Light a cigarette, I'll watch it as it burns
Remember telling me that you thought you were cursed?
I'm in love with every song you’ve ever heard
- is about how infatuated and possibly obsessed with the subject the narrator truly is.  They are in love with every little thing about this person, and they are in love with every trace and remnant of the subject, even though, or possibly because the subject has passed away.

The second verse -
If I could lose you, I would
We buried your bones in plywood
If I could lose you, I would
We buried your bones in plywood
- is likely part of the album’s second ending. Kahan has stated that the album has two different endings, and each song fits with one of those two endings. This ending is when the subject passes away. But despite that, they continue to stick with the narrator despite their passing. If the narrator could, they would have moved on by now.

The pre-chorus -
I said, "Love is fast asleep
On a dirt road with your head on my shoulder
- is about the embodiment of the love they shared with this person. The narrator believes that every moment and memory that they share with this person who is now gone is the manifestation of the love they shared with the subject.

The chorus -
Strawberry wine, and all the time we used to have
Those things I miss but know are never coming back
For you, darling, for you
No thing defines a man like love that makes him soft
And sentimental like a stranger in the park
For a few moments, I see you
- is a reference to Deanna Carter’s song Strawberry Wine. It is a country love song about making memories despite knowing that things may not last. After the subject’s passing, all the narrator is left with is memories of them. They feel that the subject became such an integral part of them and who they are, and because of that, the subject’s passing left him feeling lost. They depended on that person to help them out of their spirals, and now that the subject is not there to do that, they do not know how to cope with it.

The bridge -
If I was empty space and you were a formless shape, we’d fit
But love leaves little runway, and every time I run straight over it
If I was empty space and you were a formless shape, we’d fit
But love leaves little runway, and every time I run straight over it
- is about them either not being meant for each other entirely, or they were not meant for each other at that specific moment. But clearly, it was a case of “now or never”, which serves as the root of the relationship’s failure.
Strawberry Wine is an ode to lost loved one. It may be linked to Come Over, as this song sings of burying a loved a loved one, meanwhile Come Over mentions a coffin in the yard that we have established as a metaphor for the relationship, with the house being a metaphor for the narrator and their mental state. So, either the songs link to the second ending where the subject passes away, or the burial is another metaphor for their relationship having died out.