The lyrics are written through Degraw's perspective as he experiences frustration and misery while having romantic feelings for a former partner. The song captures the idea of ​​masking your vulnerability and undying love for someone who has gotten out of a relationship. Degraw said that masking the feelings of someone who has moved on is not out of pride or ego, but rather as a way to deal with the pain and complexity of unrequited love. The song's harmony incorporates two minor chords, C minor and G minor, into the progression instead of the typical minor chord progression in romantic love songs. Degraw strayed from normality with the intention of stimulating a musical atmosphere of sadness and pain instead of contentment to show his agonizing unrequited love. Additionally, the song applies a range of forte and piano dynamics, and Degraw's vocal timbre is raw and unrefined. The polar dynamics in the song demonstrate Degraw's agonizing love as the forte dynamics represent his anger and his piano dynamics represent his suffering. Even the raw and unrefined vocal timbre was manipulated by Degraw to acknowledge his inability to maintain composure and mask his distress. Additionally, the song's lyrics include poetic techniques that highlight Degraw's shocking unrequited love. In the lyrics, Degraw metaphorically compares herself to a Boomerang as no matter how much her ex-partner pushes his love away, he always returns to her. This metaphor was strategically chosen by him as it reveals a shocking response from the audience and allows them to identify with his unreciprocated feelings. The song Not Over You successfully conveys the depiction of unrequited love as agonizing and bewildering as a result of Gavin Degraw's manipulation of the musical.