This song is ‘Hold On’ by Chord Overstreet and I was listening to this as I was writing my Freewrite 3 and I felt that it could somehow relate to the circumstances in the Great Gatsby. Listen to it here!

(Verse 1)
Loving and fighting, accusing, denying
I can’t imagine a world with you gone
The joy and the chaos, the demons we’re made of
I’d be so lost if you left me alone

I feel as if verse 1 refers to Daisy and Tom’s relationship. Despite the dynamic of their relationship, I feel that they love each other. Line 1 of Verse 1 “Loving, fighting, accusing, denying” describe their relationship. They enjoy the chaos. It is their show and the rest are just extras.

(Verse 2)
You locked yourself in the bathroom
Lying on the floor when I breakthrough
I pull you in to feel your heartbeat
Can you hear me screaming? Please don’t leave me

This verse reminds me of Chapter 4 in the novel when Jordan was recounting her memories on Daisy and Tom’s wedding. Daisy receive a letter from Gatsby on her wedding day and starts to doubt herself and her marriage. I feel that this was Gatsby’s only way to call out to Daisy at this time, without his wealth.

(Chorus)
Hold on, I still want you
Come back, I still need you
Let me take your hand, I’ll make it right
I swear to love you all my life
Hold on, I still need you

The chorus fits all three of the pairings. In terms of Tom and Daisy, Tom tries to reassure Daisy that he treat her better. Especially the line that says “I’ll make it right, I swear to love you all my life.”.

On the other hand, for Daisy and Gatsby, this is Gatsby telling Daisy that he will treat her better than Tom does.

(Verse 3)
Long endless highway, you’re silent beside me
Driving a nightmare I can’t escape from
Helplessly praying, the light isn’t fading
Hiding the shock and the chill in my bones

This verse reminds me of when Daisy runs over Myrtle. In this verse, I picture that it’s Gatsby driving now. Daisy is probably speechless as he drives them away from the scene. The light that grew over the time they spent together was fading. Gatsby has just witnessed Daisy murder a person but he needs to hide his feelings to protect Daisy.

(Verse 4)
They took you away on a table
I pace back and forth as you lay still
They pull you in to feel your heartbeat
Can you hear me screaming? Please don’t leave me

This is when they arrive back at the Buchanans’ home. Daisy is inside while Gatsby is outside, nervous and worried for her. Tom and Daisy share an embrace while Gatsby watches outside. It is probably at this point that he realizes but refuses to admit that Daisy and him can’t go back to the past.

(Chorus)
Hold on, I still want you
Come back, I still need you
Let me take your hand, I’ll make it right
I swear to love you all my life
Hold on, I still need you

Sometimes I feel that Nick needs Gatsby. The closeness of their relationship might have been just a convenience for Gatsby but I think Nick might have viewed it differently. Gatsby might have been the first (or only) person to confide in him the way Gatsby did. When he finds out that Gatsby has died, it is almost as if he didn’t know what to do. He blames society for Gatsby’s demise. Maybe Nick feels guilty because he hasn’t been reliable or done enough for Gatsby and that’s why Nick is telling his story, painting him as the tragic hero. Maybe Nick is the one that wants to repeat the past and by telling the story, he gets to go back.

(Verse 5)
I don’t wanna let go
I know I’m not that strong
I just wanna hear you
Saying, “Baby, let’s go home”
Let’s go home
Yeah, I just wanna take you home

Hold on, I still want you
Come back, I still need you

There were three pairings I could think of that related to the song, they were:

  1. Daisy and Gatsby
  2. Gatsby and Nick
  3. Daisy and Tom

I wasn’t too sure how to organize this because I felt the different verses were for different pairs but I ultimately decided on evaluating this song verse by verse.