The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Bargain" by the artist "Who, The"

This song, "Bargain" by The Who, portrays a protagonist consumed by the search for love, willing to make any sacrifice to attain it. The lyrics convey a sense of all-consuming passion and desperate longing to find "you," the object of this love.

The protagonist expresses a willingness for complete self-renunciation ("I'd gladly lose me to find you"), material sacrifice ("I'd gladly give up all I had"), and even enduring hardship ("Work my life away, yeah I would...naked, beaten and cold"). He calls this a "bargain," the best he ever had, emphasizing that finding love outweighs any loss.

The image of the mirror ("Looking at my face in the mirror") symbolizes introspection and the realization of his own incompleteness without love ("I know I'm nothing without you"). The metaphor of "one and one don't make two, one and one make one" conveys the idea of merging with the beloved, achieving wholeness through love.

The repetition of the lines "I'd gladly lose me to find you" and "I'll pay any price to get you" emphasizes the boundless devotion and willingness to go to any lengths for love. The image of "drowning another man" can be interpreted as a metaphor for abandoning his former life and identity for a new one, created with his beloved.