The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all

Everything about the song is really clear except where the phrase “Rolling in the Deep” comes from. Millennial slang? Anyways, Adele and her ex used to be really close. She thought that he might be “the one”. It turns out he wasn’t. It turns out that he was actually a bad guy. This 180 has turned her into a woman scorned.

She feels galvanized. Now she has to decide what to do with all this energy. Should she burn his life to the ground or should she take this energy and use it constructively. Or both? She hasn’t decided yet. Regardless, she warns him that she isn’t to be fucked with.

The song structure is great. The verses start off mildly and build to a crescendo in a powerful chorus. Very cathartic. The beating drums in the background do a great job of creating the atmosphere. Another great aspect of the song is the background singers. I like it when the background singers sound like the Greek Chorus. That is, they sound like your best friends in the background having your back—they are having a separate conversation yelling at the target of your rage. The Supremes do something similar in Where Did Our Love Go.

Rolling in the Deep Lyrics

There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ‘head and sell me out and I’ll lay your ship bare
See how I leave with every piece of you
Don’t underestimate the things that I will do
There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and its bringing me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love they leave me breathless, I can’t help feeling
We could have had it all (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

Baby I have no story to be told
But I’ve heard one on you and I’m gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Making a home down there ’cause mine sure won’t be shared

The scars of your love remind me of us (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
The scars of your love they leave me breathless, I can’t help feeling
We could have had it all (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

We could’ve had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
But you played it with a beating

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you look for
Turned my sorrow into treasured gold
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow

we could’ve had it all
We could’ve had it all (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
It all, it all, it all, (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
We could have had it all (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

We could’ve had it all (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand (you’re gonna wish you never had met me)
But you played it, you played it, you played it, you played it
To the beat

Songwriters: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins / Paul Richard Epworth