Song Lyrics I Have Written Under A Notes App Page Titled “Tattoo Ideas”

As most early-20s college girls probably say: I want a tattoo. I’ve said this for years, but have always given up thinking when it begins to hurt my head. There are so many songs that I love that have gotten me through hard times and that I’ve driven myself crazy listening to because they are on repeat for months in my car. As last semester winded down, I relied on some of these songs, and their lyricism, to get me through finals. Thus, here are some lyrics that are written on my phone, but probably won’t be on my skin. 

“Recollection on streets you used to know, forgotten pleasure smolder” from “Leave This City” by The Sundays.

Nostalgia, old houses, old friends, and old life. This lyric brings me back to my childhood street. I especially love how much can be interpreted from the word “smolder.” 

“Are we prisoners or renegades?” from “The Barbarians” by Greta Van Fleet.

Greta Van Fleet is my life’s band, and this lyric represents my worldview in the scope of life’s meaning, the greater powers of the world, and our relationships with other humans. Are we prisoners of this life, something so seemingly predetermined? Are we renegades or nomads who determine our paths? I think the beauty is in thinking about the question rather than finding the right answer. 

“And I do” from “Tangerine” by Led Zeppelin.

I love how this lyric is sung, lingering and sung through a halt in the music. Following “to think of us again” is almost like a delayed, hesitant confession and it commands my attention when I listen to it. 

“Heel to the mist and the wind” from “Caravel” by Greta Van Fleet.

This represents my ideal relationship with nature. Nature, as a human, should be our predator, although we don’t treat it as such. I love any type of lyricism that equates humans to animals and primality because it grounds me with the origin of human meaning and the relationship with our intelligence. In the end, we should fall under nature, be controlled by it, and live by its standards. 

“Where are you calling from? A booth in the Midwest” from “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez.

This paints such a clear, melancholic, and dreary picture in my mind. Crappy Midwestern diner, corded phone, dead relationship. Deep down there was still enough care to ask the question.

Although these lyrics are quite long, I hope that at least one of them would, or partially would, be tattooed on my body. 

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