I got the lyrics from here. They aren’t mine, but the breakdown for which singer is singing what parts is. 🙂
Blue = male singer, Pink = female singer, Purple = both
And now we can all collectively cry about how this song is basically Yuuri and Victor making love through skating.
ANALYSIS TIME GUYS!
So, looking at these lyrics more closely they’re actually SO INCREDIBLY RELEVANT.
We start off with just the male singer, who I am going to associate with Victor. He is alone, feeling abandoned, and sees an equally upset individual (the one he is singing the song to/with, who I am going to say is Yuuri). “I hear a voice crying far away” “Have you been abandoned as well?” The first time Victor notices Yuuri (and commits him to memory) is after the medal ceremony at the GPF. He sees Yuuri obviously upset. It’s easy to see how he could have made a connection to himself in him.
“Come now, let’s empty this glass of wine soon” can easily be a reference to the banquet. Equally as important for setting a timeline are the next two lines.
“I’ll start getting ready” “Now be silent.” There was a 3 month space after the GPF banquet in which Victor was mulling over the prospect of moving to be with Yuuri (whether that’s in the capacity of a coach or otherwise isn’t important). The second line can easily be Victor just asking for the space to think through his decision.
Then we get the main lines. It’s very important to note that these lines are sung TOGETHER. “Stay close to me” “Don’t go” “I’m afraid of losing you”. All of these lines apply to both of them. Also, they both skated to the song who’s name is both the title and the first line of this section, Stay Close to Me. This is what brought them together.
The next lines are interesting. “Your hands” and “My hands” are sung by Victor while “your legs” and “my legs” are sung by Yuuri. Why is it that way when they could have assigned each person to 1 viewpoint? I believe it’s because of the coach/skater dynamic they have. Victor uses his hands to mould Yuuri (coach him) and Yuuri uses his feet to communicate back (his skating).
The next 2 lines are sung together. “The heartbeats” “Are fusing together”. Victor and Yuuri are becoming one in their desires, from all levels; their careers, their relationship, their roles. They really are fusing their hearts together.
Then the last section. “Let’s leave together” is sung by Yuuri. Yuuri is asking Victor to be with him, he is taking the lead, holding out his hand like at the end of his free skate, and showing Victor the way. And Victor responds with “I’m ready”. Together they leave “Now”.
To add a couple last notes to this analysis, it’s been shown throughout the series that piano is Yuuri’s instrument and violin is Victor’s. The first time we heard Aria it was a large mixture of instruments, mostly strings. Very much Victor’s song. But this time it’s ONLY piano and violin. It’s definitely playing towards their musical motifs.
And last tiny comment: does the first note of the duet sound familiar? It’s the second last note from the ep 9 airport reunion scene. Do with that what you will.
Nothing but My Aching Soul 