The Everly Brothers' song "These Shoes" tells the story of a person who is going through heartbreak and using their worn-out shoes as a symbol of their emotional journey. The lyrics depict the narrator's desire to buy new shoes because the current ones are falling apart, much like their own heart. The narrator feels like their luck is down as they walk the streets of town, but they believe that they will soon be able to move on from their heartbreak. They plan to step high and leave the pain behind. They assure the person who caused their heartbreak that they will be the first to know once they have moved on, symbolized by sending them these worn-out shoes. The song conveys a sense of loneliness and isolation since the narrator feels alone while being on their own. They spend their time walking and drinking, constantly thinking about the person who hurt them. The worn-out shoes serve as a reminder of the emotional toll the heartbreak has taken on the narrator. The narrator wants the person who caused their pain to understand the anguish they've been through. The worn-out shoes become a means of communication, expressing everything that the narrator can't put into words. It is their way of saying that these shoes are all that person will see, and they will be the last of the narrator. The shoes help the narrator walk away from the pain, and there is nothing more to be said except that the shoes will tell the whole story. The song ends with the narrator promising a surprise that the person won't believe, leaving it open to interpretation what this surprise might be. Overall, "These Shoes" is a poignant song about heartbreak and the power of symbols to convey emotions and messages when words might fail.
