Yesterday, When I Was Mad

The song portrays a relationship, or partnership, moving between anger and reconciliation. The speaker recalls a time when both people seemed ready to abandon everything and distrustful of everyone’s honesty. Later, loneliness makes the speaker reconsider, and the pair appear together again, handling ordinary work and social arrangements. The mood shifts from sharp resentment to uneasy companionship rather than deep, joyful peace.

Several details suggest that the praise at the start is not entirely sincere: the speaker compliments the other person while admitting to “murder” in their thoughts. This contrast makes the politeness sound like a mask for anger. The claim that nobody understands the other person’s humour, followed by a jab at their voice and performance, hints at private mockery or rivalry. “Made such a little go a very long way” is an ambiguous compliment: it may praise their persistence, while also gently suggesting that their success has been modest.

The lyrics leave open what kind of bond this is and how genuine the renewed closeness feels. The speakers may be colleagues who compete and quarrel, or people whose personal relationship is entangled with shared work. Posing for pictures and discussing hotels show that they can function together, but do not prove that their distrust has disappeared. The change of mind may come from affection, loneliness, practicality, or some mixture of all three.