The meaning behind Post Malone music video “Circles” – off his new album 'Hollywood's Bleeding’

[Just another man]

 

[Just another man]

The video is deep.

1. He is having an out of body experience not realizing he is dead

2. He sees his girlfriend drowning, with him not being able to save her (meaning in the physical world he cant see her)

3. He goes to home, only to see his body burned alive (realizing he is dead)

4. He realizes he is dead and going to hell

5. Him walking with the horse towards the fight before he died

- Youtube comment

[Just another man]

 

[JW Insider]

So the out of body experience is the video's metaphor for his ability to objectively view the fact that he is in a dead relationship (per lyrics). A relationship that he cannot save. After the passion (fire) burned out, there was nothing left. He was off fighting a doomed battle and was overpowered, and couldn't be there. He is lamenting the fact that he doesn't want to be the one to declare their relationship dead, and he doesn't want to take the blame for ending the relationship. And there is always the idea that feeding the flame of passion will somehow save them, but she is running away from the real problem, not dealing with it, too. Therefore, they keep running away, but really just running in circles.

I like the line is "Maybe you don't understand what I'm going through; It's only me, what you got to lose?" This is worded so that it can be an admission that his ego is too strong and he thinks too little of her, or that he is being quite humble and telling her that he is no great prize anyway, so she should be the one to take some steps here.

It reminds me of Jose Feliciano's "Light My Fire" which deals with the idea that a potentially dying relationship ("Darling we could only lose; and our love become a funeral pyre.") can be fired up again with renewed physical passion. Malone's song deals with a deeper idea that is takes more than physical passion to keep a relationship alive.