Help settle an argument.
There's a song whose chorus "How do I feel this good sober?"
One interpretation is, "How is possible that I feel as good as I do, even though I am sober?"
The other is, "What can I do so I continue to feel as good as I do now, even once I sober up?"
Of the two disputants (one of whom is me, the other of whom is wrong), one asserts that the song-writer (Alecia Moore in case it helps) is being deliberately ambiguous; the other asserts only the first interpretation is correct.
I'm not taking a poll here. I'd like someone to give me a reasoned defense of one interpretation or both.
Best Answer
My initial reaction was that the first interpretation was correct, but that was without context. If you read the rest of the song lyrics, I would contend that the second interpretation is more likely. Consider:
The pain-free aspect could imply a drunken state, but might also mean that pain is what drives her to drink, so this pain-free state is unusual when sober. I think it is more likely drunkness, because she continues, perhaps more pointedly:
This sounds much more like someone who is struggling with alcoholism, in which case the second interpretation makes more sense, but an intentional ambiguity would be most powerful.