The opening verse sets the stage, with the singer being heartbroken from a previous relationship. She was helpless (“I let it fall”), but a new lover stepped in (“you saved me”).

She was strong (“my hands .. were strong”), but she was not strong enough to protect herself from this new lover (“too weak … [fell] to your feet”). She lost herself (again “falling”), and the lover took advantage.

The new lover was manipulative (“the games you’d play … you would always win”) and deceitful (“the things you’d say .. were never true”), and as the relationship progressed, this darker side of her lover became clear (“there’s a side to you that I never knew”).

At this point she revolts against her situation. She can’t manage it, so she lets her anger out to protect herself – “let it burn” expresses the destructive response of desperation.

Burning the rain is impossible, of course. Her tears are the rain (“it burned while I cried”). The rain drops are a metaphor for her tears, just like burning water is a metaphor for the impossibility of burning away heartache, as well as a metaphor for pain and injury.

At this point the relationship is still going, but it’s stormy. It’s a dramatic rollercoaster. In the second part of the chorus, she sets “fire to the rain”, but in the next verse they are back together. In moments in this dysfunctional relationship, there’s eternal peace (“I could stay there … forever”, “nothing gets better”).

But the dark side of her lover is still there, the first part of the chorus repeats, as she is again, and again, reminded and confronted with the dark side of her lover.

Finally she throws more “fire” at the relationship. Now everything burns, without a hope of being repaired. She knows she has to “burn the rain” until the relationship is destroyed. She has to. But it’s painful (“as I touched your face … it burned while I cried … screaming out your name”).

So, the second part of the chorus is extended, but with a crucial twist. There’s no going back (“I threw us into the flames … something died”). That’s it, it’s over (“that was the last time”).

In the next and final new verse, the relationship is over, but not her love. Her dark lover still owns her heart (“that heart you caught must be waiting for ya”). It’s over, she’s burned everything to the ground, but she still wants her lover (“I can’t help myself from looking for ya”). Fire is irreversible, it destroys, but it’s the only thing left for her to do.

Now she’s alone, heart broken twice, and this time she can’t move on. She “wake[s] up by the door”, presumably from crying herself to sleep, alone on the floor of her home. It’s over, but she remains caught in her heartache and loneliness.

The coda (last line of the song) leaves us with what’s left of her sentiment. “Let it burn”: come what may, whatever, screw all of this:/ “let it burn”.

The song is gorgeous, sung beautifully by Adele obviously, but every word plays a part in telling the story. Poetry.