What does There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back mean?

Shawn Mendes: There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back Meaning

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Album cover for There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back album cover

Song Released: 2017


There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back Lyrics

I wanna follow where she goes
I think about her and she knows it
I wanna let her take control
'Cause everytime that she gets close, yeah

She pulls me in enough to keep me guessing
And maybe I should stop and start confessing
Confessing,...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    phan
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    Jul 13th 2017 !⃝

    "i wanna follow where she goes,
    i think about her and she knows it."

    this is pretty self-explanatory.

    "i wanna let her take control,"
    (shawn is a bottom confirmed? jk let's keep going, if you don't know what i mean, don't ask.)
    "cause every time that she gets close, yeah...
    she pulls me in enough to keep me guessing.
    and maybe i should stop and start confessing,
    confessing."

    i think he's talking about how the girl is sending mixed signals, and he wants her to come out and say what she's thinking. on the last part, he probably thinks he should confess his love for her instead of waiting for her to.

    "oh i've been shaking,
    i love it when you go crazy,
    you take all my inhibitions,
    baby there's nothing holdin' me back."

    so, i searched up the meaning for the word 'inhibition,' and i found a meaning that could apply in this situation. the first one: inappropriate conscious or unconscious restraint or suppression of behavior, as sexual behavior, often due to guilt or fear produced by past punishment, or sometimes considered a dispositional trait. so he could be talking about how he had a past experience that changed his view on sex, but when he's with the girl, he doesn't hold back, hence "there's nothing holdin' me back."

    (or i'm just dirty minded haha. let's continue.)

    "you take me places that tear up my reputation,
    manipulate my decisions,
    baby there's nothing holdin' me back."

    he's possibly talking about her kind of forcing him to make decisions, and that makes him ruin hiss reputation?

    "she says that she's never afraid,
    just picture everybody naked."

    so when shawn says the last line of that part, you can hear the smile in his voice.

    that's besides the point, never mind.

    anyways, that part is just a thing that adults tell you when you're young and about to perform onstage: if you imagine everybody in their underwear, you'll be less scared!

    (that never worked ahaha)

    "she really doesn't like to wait,
    not really into hesitation..."

    she's not hesitant to try things.

    "pulls me in enough to keep me guessing,
    maybe i should stop and start confessing,
    confessing.
    oh i've been shaking,
    i love it when you go crazy.
    you take all my inhibitions,
    baby there's nothing holdin' me back.
    you take me places that tear up my reputation,
    manipulate my decisions,
    baby there's nothing holdin' me back."

    see above.

    "cause if we lost our minds,
    and we took it way too far,
    i know we'd be alright,
    i know we would be alright."

    when they "lose their minds," i think he's referring to when they fight with each other. he thinks that even if they fight, their relationship would survive.

    "if you were by my side,
    and we stumbled in the dark,
    i know we'd be alright,
    i know we would be alright."

    he might be talking about their futures, and how they don't know what's ahead of them, which is represented by the darkness. even through that, they would still be all gucci and fine.

    "cause if we lost our minds,
    and we took it way too far,
    i know we'd be alright,
    i know we would be alright.
    if you were by my side and we stumbled in the dark,
    i know we'd be alright,
    i know we would be alright."

    see above.

    "oh i've been shaking,
    i love it when you go crazy,
    you take all my inhibitions,
    baby there's nothing holding me back.
    you take me places that tear up my reputation,
    manipulate my decisions,
    baby there's nothing holding me back,
    there's nothing holding me back.
    i feel so free when you're with me, baby,
    baby there's nothing holding me back."

    so the only line i haven't covered in that last part is very self explanatory.

    so i guess that's my interpretation.

    yeah.

    bye.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 10th 2017 !⃝

    The lyrics "I feel so free when you're with me" tell us it's a positive meaning; there's nothing holding him back from loving her and adventuring with her. The entire song has a positive energy thrumming through its veins and it caught my ears(apparently) when he said "Just picture everybody naked". The girl is basically fearless and it's what brought him into the whole thing. "We will be alright" says that they'll stay together--there is no such thing as being held back from breaking up with such an amazing girl. He's free when he's with her; it isn't meant as a break-up song.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    singerstargirl
    click a star to vote
    Oct 29th 2017 !⃝

    The whole song centres around how he feels for this girl. She sounds funny, spontaneous, adventurous, fearless and absolutely gorgeous without trying to be. She is the type of girl that everyone probably knows one of and wishes they could be as well. I find I have trouble relating to this song because I am not Perfect like this girl. I love it as a song, but I know I am not like this person.

  4. anonymous
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    May 21st 2019 !⃝

    I think he really likes the girl. And that he never wants to break up with her ever.

  5. anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2019 !⃝

    It's about alcohol.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    Apr 18th 2018 !⃝

    I just watched a video of Shawn said who he wrote about in nothing holding me back he wrote about a girl in a move script.

  7. anonymous
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    Jan 23rd 2018 !⃝

    He is talking about how a girls free spirit makes his spirit do the same. And no, I doubt it's about drugs.

  8. anonymous
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    Nov 9th 2017 !⃝

    I know it's not the actual meaning but when I first listened to it I could only think it was about drugs and addiction... sounded like he was struggling to fight a coke problem to me
    Like I said I know it's not about drugs but if you listen to the lyrics, especially the first few verses sound very much applicable to drugs

  9. anonymous
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    Nov 9th 2017 !⃝

    About a drug for sure!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. anonymous
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    Sep 12th 2017 !⃝

    Ok so my boyfriend dedicated this song to me and I think he thinks it means he loves me and nothing is holding him back from it maybe that is what shawn means? haha idk.

  11. anonymous
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    Aug 14th 2017 !⃝

    Its all about SEX

  12. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2017 !⃝

    It's about a drug.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Jun 28th 2017 !⃝

    The meaning of the song is people are telling him negative things about the girl because he has said something bad about her when the were going thru bad times, but he knows that she will be there for him and is true to their relationship to the end.

  14. anonymous
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    Jun 23rd 2017 !⃝

    i think that maybe he's talkin about there are any things or people holding him back to leave the girl like everything is going good nobody's holdin him back

  15. anonymous
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    Jun 13th 2017 !⃝

    I think that this song could be interpreted however you like it to be. I personally interpret as the guy is with a girl that he feels invincible with. It could also be interpreted so he's with this girls and there's nothing holdin' him back from breaking up with her.


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