[Verse 1]
Out with the old
And in with the new
That's what they say
Those who don't have a clue
You're fighting this rain
And then you're willing the shine
You can't help yourself
But I know you are trying
[Chorus]
When your heart and your head disagree
Then I'll bet if you made them unite
There would be such a fight
Over what they should do
With this problem and you
Don't know how to resolve this conflict
[Verse 2]
Still chasing a dream
You're facing the facts
The weight of the reel
No more regrets
No looking back
The problem too big
The tower too high
Yes says the heart
But no says the mind
[Chorus]
When your heart and your head disagree
Then I'll bet if you made them unite
There would be such a fight
Over what they should do
With this problem and you
Don't know how to resolve this conflict
[Bridge]
I wish this world apart
Where I could give you all the answers
But the fight continues on
And the fact of the matter
Is I am convinced that we have spend
Far too much time on the fence
Choosing sides
Which is right
[Chorus]
When your heart and your head disagree
Then I'll bet if you made them unite
There would be such a fight
Over what they should do
With this problem and you
Don't know how to resolve this conflict
Don't know how to resolve this conflict
Tell me how to resolve this conflict
Conflict
Song Meaning
David Dunn quotes a dismissive crowd in "Conflict" before answering them — "out with the old and in with the new, that's what they say, those who don't have a clue" — and "you're fighting this rain and then you're willing the shine" names a specific, exhausting inconsistency instead of a general struggle.
The chorus turns the conflict into something closer to a courtroom than a feeling — "when your heart and your head disagree, then I'll bet if you made them unite there would be such a fight over what they should do" — treating two parts of the self as opposing parties rather than one confused whole.
"Still chasing a dream, you're facing the facts, the weight of the reel" and "the problem too big, the tower too high" keep raising the stakes without resolving them, and "yes says the heart, but no says the mind" restates the chorus's argument in its plainest possible form. "I wish this world apart, where I could give you all the answers" admits the singer doesn't have the resolution either, and "we have spend far too much time on the fence, choosing sides" turns the final verse's confession outward. The closing lines shift verbs three times in a row — "don't know," "don't know," "tell me" — ending the song still asking rather than resolving.