To me, song lyrics are like poetry. Feelings that are seemingly indescribable in my own vocabulary are somehow molded perfectly into the verses and bridges of my favorite songs, leaving me feeling understood and in awe of the power that songwriting holds. In a similar way that lines of a book make you hold in your breath, or the last stanza of a poem makes you wince and say “Ouch”, certain songs contain a few lines of lyrics that–for lack of a better comparison–-punch me in the face. What I mean by that is, they hold so much depth to them that I feel suddenly smacked by their meaning and power, and it resonates with me far past active listening. Below are (more than) a handful of my favorite ~me vs. the lyrics~ smackdowns, in no particular order…
- “i know’ by fiona apple
-
“And you can use my skin
To bury secrets in
And I will settle you down
And at my own suggestion
I will ask no questions
While I do my thing in the background”
- “the whole of the moon” by the waterboys
-
“I spoke about wings
You just flew
I wondered, I guessed, and I tried
You just knew
I sighed
But you swooned, I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon”
- “moon song” by phoebe bridgers
-
“You asked to walk me home
But I had to carry you
And you pushed me in
And now my feet can’t touch the bottom of you”
- “babyfather” by sade
-
“I’m stunned
In a daze
He had the whole street set ablaze
It’s only love they say
Makes you feel this way”
- “my tears ricochet” by taylor swift
-
“And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want, just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones
And I still talk to you (when I’m screaming at the sky)
And when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)”
- “let’s not sh*t ourselves” by bright eyes
-
“As they take eye for an eye
Until no one can see
We must stumble blindly forth repeating history”
- “presumably dead arm (617 sessions)” by sidney gish
-
“And all these pretend spouses
Are a happy storybook
That will turn to stark nonfiction
In the time it took
For me to notice that I’m old
Which means I’ll be 30 and happy
Likely married to
Personified business casual khakis”
- “pluto projector” by rex orange county
-
“Spending the years together
Growing older every day
I feel at home when I’m around you
And I’ll gladly say again
I hope the encore lasts forever
Now there’s time for us to spend”
- “werewolf” by fiona apple
-
“And I could liken you to a chemical
The way you made me compound a compound
But I’m a chemical, too, inevitable
You and me would mix
And I could liken you to a lot of things
But I always come around
‘Cause in the end I’m a sensible girl
I know the fiction of the fix”
- “breathless” by caroline polachek
-
“And if there’s no tomorrow
And all we have is here and now
I’m happy just to have you
You’re all the love I need somehow”
- “first love / late spring” by mitski
-
“And I was so young
When I behaved
Twenty five
Yet now I find
I’ve grown into
A tall child”
- “positively 4th street” by bob dylan
-
“I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You’d know what a drag it is to see you”
- “i couldn’t be more in love” by the 1975
-
“I could have been a great line
I could have been a sign
Or overstay my time
Say what’s on your mind
Maybe I’ll rely on all the things that made it right
Because I’d give you all the years of my life”
- “steamroller” by phoebe bridgers
-
“I am tired of being sad
I feel it when I wake up
And it just stays bad
It hits me like a sickness
Or a steamroller
Makes me wanna lay down
And get run over”
- “souvenir” by julien baker, phoebe bridgers, and lucy dacus
-
“When you cut a hole into my skull
Do you hate what you see?
Like I do?”
- “All too well (10 minute version) (taylor’s version) (from the vault)” by taylor swift
-
“The idea you had of me
Who was she?
A never needy, ever-lovely jewel
Whose shine reflects on you”