What does "Push My Luck" by The Chainsmokers mean?

“Push My Luck” Lyrics Meaning

The Chainsmoker’s new single “Push My Luck” tells the story of someone looking back on how he came to be in his current relationship, with the woman he loves. As he remembers how nervous he was, and how out of his league she felt, he realizes that if he hadn’t taken the risk of showing his interest, he never would have known that she felt the same way. 

“Never let go” 

Despite how convinced the narrator is that this girl he’s fallen head over heels for is annoyed with him or feels like he’s wasting her time, he now can see how wrong he had things. She has held him close ever since, with loyalty and love, and never let go.

Verse 1

Broad Street
Yeah, we met over sake
Might have started off rocky
And ruined our first date
But last night
When you finally called me
I ran straight through the lobby
I couldn't keep you waiting

The narrator introduces his love interest by saying that they met over drinks and he probably “ruined [their] first date.” He really wants to be in a relationship with this woman, but he’s afraid of not being good enough for her to reciprocate his feelings. When she calls him, he so desperately doesn’t want to “keep [her] waiting” that he runs through the lobby. His dignity isn’t important to him anymore. He wants her to know that he thinks highly of her.

Pre-Chorus

And I know, and I know, and I know, and I know
That you like your space with your one roommate
Do you mind if I see you tomorrow?
Yeah, I know, yeah, I know, yeah, I know, yeah, I know
That you work Sundays for minimum wage
Should I have known that you would take hold and never let go?
Never let go

He doesn’t want to intrude on her personal space, and he’s afraid to scare her away by asking to see her again. Still, he forces himself to ask her if he can “see [her] tomorrow” even though she likes her alone time and has a busy schedule. The line “should I have known that you would take hold and never let go?” likely means that she feels the same way. While he thinks she’s too good for him, she takes hold and never lets go of him.

Chorus

I think I might push my luck with you
Does another night feel alright to you?
If I ask right now, would you think it through? 
I think I might push my luck with you
Did you say that you got nothing else to do?
Is it okay if I stay? 'Cause I'm dying to
Yeah, I'm dying to

He can’t bare the thought of never asking her, so he does. He pushes his luck and asks her to consider spending more time together. Because of the line from the pre-chorus where he asks if he “should have known” where the relationship was headed, this could be written as the narrator looking back on how he met the woman he’s now in a serious relationship. In retrospect, he knows that for all his insecurity, she felt the same way about her.

Verse 2

Restless
Tangled up in your mattress
In the morning, we'll get dressed
The one that got away
You caught me
Yeah, I'm right where you want me
Every inch of my body
Won't let this go to waste

The second verse is written after the two have likely been together for some time. They may even be living in the same house. As he takes in the relationship he “won’t let go to waste,” he considers how easily it all might have never happened. He could have been “the one that got away,” and they could have spent their lives never knowing what could have been, but she caught him. They both pursued each other in their own ways. He asked if he could hold her, and she never let go.

Deeper Meaning of “Push My Luck” by The Chainsmokers

Confessing our feelings for someone we like doesn’t come easily to most people. “Push My Luck” reminds us that eventually, someone has to say it first. While it might not always work out, it’s often better to be upfront when the time is right. Either you get closure, or you get what you were looking for and they feel the same way. The narrator in “Push My Luck” also struggles to feel worthy for a relationship. His struggle shows us that sometimes our fears can blind us to reality. In the end, whether someone likes us or not isn’t what gives us our identity. And just because you may struggle to see yourself in a positive light, doesn’t mean that others do. And it definately doesn’t mean that you aren’t worthy of being loved by a kind person, romantic or otherwise.