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Myles Smith’s new song Waste gives us a close look at love and memory, capturing the emotions that linger when people part ways. Since the song is part of his latest project, A Minute…, Smith has described this as his “most proud work to date.” We know Smith has poured his heart into these songs, and with Waste, he tackles one of those timeless themes—the way love continues to shape us, even when it’s only a memory. Using my background in English literature and creative writing, I’ll be diving into these lyrics and unpacking what they reveal about love’s persistence, with some classic poetry as a guide. These are just my thoughts, of course, but I’m excited to explore how the lyrics reflect themes that have echoed through literary history.
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It’s a good excuse to stretch into a few literary comparisons to see what writers like Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sara Teasdale, and Shakespeare can tell us about the song’s meaning. Millay’s take on memory and heartbreak, for example, aligns closely with how Smith describes holding on to love, even as life moves forward. And Smith’s chorus—“all of our love won’t go to waste”—calls up Sara Teasdale’s vision of love kept alive despite separation. We’ll explore how these poets and their works give depth to Waste as they tackle the lasting imprint of love, memory, and even hope for a future reconnection.
Myles Smith Waste Lyrics
Myles Smith Waste Meaning
“Worlds collide / People come and people go / Time passes by”
These lines set up one of the song’s main ideas: people come in and out of our lives, but memories of them often stay. Myles Smith is pointing out how time moves on and people leave, yet some memories feel as close as yesterday. Even though the world keeps changing, these connections don’t just disappear.
This idea of memories lasting is something Edna St. Vincent Millay talks about in her poem Time Does Not Bring Relief. She writes, “Time does not bring relief; you all have lied / Who told me time would ease me of my pain!” Millay, like Smith, is saying that even though time goes by, the memories and the feelings don’t always fade away. Just as Smith remembers “when we locked eyes,” Millay also feels like her memories are just as fresh as ever. Both are showing how some moments stay close, even if everything else changes.
In this opening, we see how Smith is setting up a theme of holding onto past love, something that won’t be easily forgotten. Both Smith and Millay tell us that time alone doesn’t erase important memories; instead, those memories can stay strong and vivid, even after a long time has passed.
“I know that we’ve gone our separate ways / But all of our love won’t go to waste”
In the chorus, Myles Smith gets to the heart of the song: even though the relationship is over, he believes it still has value. He’s saying that he doesn’t want the love they shared to “go to waste.” He’s determined to remember it and hold onto all the good moments they shared.
This idea of keeping love close, even after a relationship is over, is similar to what Sara Teasdale writes about in her poem I Am Not Yours. Teasdale says, “I am not yours, not lost in you / Not lost, although I long to be.” Teasdale is saying that even if she’s not with the person she loves, she still holds that love in her heart. Like Smith, she’s keeping that love as something precious. Smith’s lyrics and Teasdale’s words show us that love can be powerful, even when it’s in the past.
When Smith says, “I’m gonna hold on to all of our days,” he says he won’t let go of those memories. This message from both Smith and Teasdale shows us that love isn’t wasted, even when it’s over. It becomes something meaningful to keep with us, something that shapes who we are.
“Wherever you are, wherever I go / I hope someday that we cross roads”
Here, Smith expresses a deep hope that he might see this person again, even though they’re separated now. There’s a sense of hope in these lines, a wish that maybe one day they’ll be able to reconnect. This idea of longing and hoping for reconnection adds depth to the song, showing how he’s not quite ready to fully say goodbye.
This hopeful longing is similar to what Shakespeare writes in Sonnet 30. Shakespeare says, “When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past.” In this line, he’s thinking about people he’s lost, and he finds comfort in remembering them. Just like Smith hopes to “cross roads” with his lost love, Shakespeare also brings his loved ones back in his mind, showing how powerful memories can be. Both are saying that even if someone is gone, thinking of them brings them close again.
With these lyrics, Smith shows us that he isn’t letting go of the hope to see this person again someday. Shakespeare’s sonnet supports this feeling of holding onto memories as a way to keep people close, even if they’re far away. Together, they remind us that love and memory can keep people connected, no matter where they are.
“Still in my head, still in my mind / It will take time, it won’t go to waste”
As the song moves into the bridge, Smith sings about how this person is “still in [his] head, still in [his] mind.” He’s saying that even though they’ve gone their separate ways, he can’t just forget them. There’s a sense of acceptance here; he knows it will “take time” to fully move on, but he believes their love “won’t go to waste.” He’s keeping the memories as something valuable.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 echoes this idea, too. In the poem, he writes, “And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste.” Here, Shakespeare is thinking about lost loves and friendships, and while it makes him sad, he doesn’t see those memories as a waste. Like Smith, he’s saying that even if the relationship is over, the memories are still worth keeping. Both are showing us that just because something is in the past, it doesn’t lose its meaning.
Smith and Shakespeare both highlight the idea that memories and love can stay valuable, even after things have ended. They remind us that love isn’t wasted, even if it’s just a memory. This bridge captures the song’s message that even though moving on can be hard, the love and memories we carry forward still mean something important.
Main Takeaways And Throughlines
At its core, Waste reflects the emotional persistence of love and the ways it remains part of us, even as life moves forward. Myles Smith’s lyrics in the chorus—“I know that we’ve gone our separate ways / But all of our love won’t go to waste”—directly address the bittersweet nature of carrying past love forward. Smith’s recent reflections on his music career reveal just how meaningful he finds connection and authenticity.
He described his work on A Minute… as a chance to document his feelings “in a beautiful way” and to capture phases of life that are “a privilege to connect to.” His intent shines through here: Smith sees love and memory as central to our lives, even when relationships end. This perspective aligns well with Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem, Time Does Not Bring Relief, where she wrestles with the unshakable nature of memory.
Millay expresses frustration that time hasn’t erased her heartache, and she ultimately reveals that the past love remains vivid and strong, a feeling Smith mirrors in Waste’s commitment to preserving memories, even painful ones.
Another essential theme in Waste is the idea that love can be powerful even in separation, with hope lingering despite distance. Smith’s lyrics, “Wherever you are, wherever I go / I hope someday that we cross roads,” capture a sense of longing for reconnection. This hopeful outlook is something Sara Teasdale captures beautifully in her poem, I Am Not Yours. Teasdale speaks to a love that may not be fully realized, yet still lives on as a longing. Like Teasdale, Smith is holding on to hope, not as a way to resist reality but as a way to honor the love’s meaning. Both the song and the poem show that memory can bridge distance, and love remains valuable, even if it’s unfulfilled. For Smith, who has described music as a way to “document all the parts and phases” of his life, this theme shows that he values connection deeply, seeing even transient relationships as experiences to be remembered.
Finally, Waste explores how these powerful memories shape us.
When Smith sings, “Still in my head, still in my mind / It will take time, it won’t go to waste,” he accepts that memories are a part of him. This idea echoes Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30, where he reflects on memories of lost friends and loved ones, both happy and sorrowful. Shakespeare ultimately finds solace in these memories, realizing they’re worth revisiting.
Smith, too, values these moments for how they shape him and stay with him over time. Like Shakespeare, who sees memories as layered with meaning, Smith reveals through Waste that past connections don’t have to be erased or hidden away; instead, they can be cherished and integrated. Smith’s choice to embrace memory, rather than escape it, suggests he views love as something that persists, leaving a lasting mark.
Together, Waste and these classic poems show that love and memory are continuous, powerful forces—ones that shape who we are, long after we’ve moved on.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
