beabadobee has long been one of my beloved artists, and I am thrilled to witness the recognition she rightfully deserves over these past few years. In honor of her recent milestone of opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, I wanted to do an in-depth literary analysis of her song “Pictures of Us,” which is featured on her album Beatopia.
The song “Pictures of Us” is a moving demonstration of beabadobee’s talent and her capacity to express difficult feelings through music. Even though the lyrics are brief and straightforward, they vividly depict a person battling with unresolved hurt and regret.
Pictures of us
Buildings and rust
I don’t know what it means
To get better
Last night’s emergency
Her and me
She reminded me that God starts with a capital
But I don’t think I could do it all
No, I don’t think I could do it
She reminded me that God starts with a capital
But I don’t think I could do it all
No, I don’t think I could do it
And I don’t know what it means
To get better
Last night’s emergency
Her and me
She reminded me that God starts with a capital
But I don’t think I could do it all
No, I don’t think I could do it
She reminded me that God starts with a capital
But I don’t think I could do it all
No, I don’t think I could do it
She reminded me that God starts with a capital
But I don’t think I could do it
No, I don’t think I could do it
She reminded me that God starts with a capital
But I don’t think I could do it
The opening line, and the title of the song, “Pictures of Us” could be interpreted in several ways. The word “pictures” may evoke feelings of nostalgia or remembrance, conjuring up thoughts of events or people from the past, or be taken literally as looking through old photographs. “Of us” may allude to a close relationship or shared past between the speaker and another person.
“Buildings and rust, I don’t know what it means to get better” could suggest a sense of decay or deterioration, both literally and metaphorically. The speaker seems to be struggling with the idea of improvement and being trapped in a cycle of decline. Like a rusting building, the speaker is suffering from erosion.
The following lines, “Last night’s emergency, her and me” introduces a sense of crisis. The speaker may be reflecting on an argument or event that pushed her over the edge. The repeated phrase “She reminded me that God starts with a capital” could suggest a struggle with faith. The speaker might be stating that the presence of the person the song is about, whether a relative or friend, reminds her that life is worth living. Hence, the capitalization of God signifies a benevolent force in her once bleak world. This could be a situation of life or death, such as chronic illness, and the speaker believes that she cannot move on and “do it all” after the person has passed.
On the other hand, this lyric could be taken in the direction of a romantic relationship. The capitalization of God could be referring to some Christian churches’ feelings against LGBTQ+ relationships. It is plausible that the person stating the quote acknowledges the existence of God, and therefore feels compelled to maintain the secrecy of her relationship with the speaker. The speaker’s admission of “But I don’t think I could do it all, no, I don’t think I could do it” in the next line may serve as a confession to her personal growing inability to continue with the secret relationship.
Overall, her lyrics suggest a complex yet emotional state, characterized by feelings of uncertainty, struggle, and doubt. The inclusion of “God” introduces a complex dimension to the song, imbuing it with a sense of transcendence. What makes this reference to “God” especially intriguing to me is the fact that beabadobee always uses a lowercase spelling for her stage name.
By capitalizing “God,” the singer conveys the message that the situation being addressed in the song is not only significant but also largely beyond her own sphere of control, instead implicating a higher power whether she believes in God or not.
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