Fiona Apple

"Valentine" is a sad and vulnerable depiction of unrequited love, delivered through Apple's unique poetic style. She expresses an intense and unrequited love for someone whom she continuously roots for. The song seems to capture the essence of a love that cannot be reciprocated. The lyrics express her desperation, longing, and heartache towards someone who does not appear to acknowledge her. She sends a "pantomime" valentine, which goes unnoticed while the person she loves is busy with someone else. Meanwhile, she cuts herself while staring at this person, implying that her love for them is causing her pain. The lines, "I'm amorous but out of reach/A still life drawing of a peach", further suggest that her love is unattainable. She is comparing herself to a still-life painting, which is an inanimate object that is rendered artistically but cannot act on its own. Apple also describes herself as a tulip in a cup, which means she has no chance of "growing up" or having a future with the person she loves. The chorus repeats the phrase "I root for you, I love you", almost as if she is trying to convince herself that her love is enough. The reality is that it's not, and she knows it. Apple has made her peace with the situation, concluding that she is "dead, done", and resigned to sail on through life in the "wake of tales" of this person.