I thought I felt a spark, thought I saw a flame
When something changed in you, who took the blame?
My plan was foolproof as I became a fortress of your heart

Love, the kind that kills and scars
Will make you kneel and crawl to hell and back
The words that slit your throat
Will make you think of love as the new black, as what you lack
Love

The sound of letting go a side of youth
That we all set aside, when the world was new
Under the full moon, only endless rain
And absence of your heart

Love, the kind that kills and scars
Will make you kneel and crawl to hell and back
The words that slit your throat
Will make you think of love as the new black, as what you lack
Love


Lyrics submitted by imagesofme, edited by Stockholm

O song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

4 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    The videos are completely random and full of nothing but random bizarre images, right? Wrong. They actually tell a story that is tied into a Arabic, African, AND European legends about something quite unexpected... Let me explain. I think I have this figured out.

    Something we should start with is looking more in depth at the continuous imagery of the white substance on Jonna Lee (the singer and woman in all of the iamamiwhoami videos), on the plants, the mud on Jonna Lee, and the constant plant references throughout all of the videos.

    So, first thing's first, what do the numbers in the first six introduction videos mean? Let's decipher them, shall we?

    699130082.451322-5.4.21.3.1.20.9.15.14.1.12:

    FIIAC**HB.DEACBB-E.D.U.C.A.T.I.O.N.A.L

    9.1.13.669321018:

    I.A.M.FFICBA*AH

    9.20.19.13.5.723378:

    I.T.S.M.E.GBCCGH

    13.1.14.4.18.1.7.15.18.1.1110:

    M.A.N.D.R.A.G.O.R.A.AAA*

    15.6.6.9.3.9.14.1.18.21.13.56155:

    O.F.F.I.C.I.N.I.R.U.M.EFAEE

    23.5.12.3.15.13.5-8.15.13.5.3383:

    W.E.L.C.O.M.E-H.O.M.E.CCHC

    Mhm. It says: "Welcome home. I am educational. It's me, Mandragora Officinirum."

    It's significant to note that one of the numbered videos spell out "mandragora" and "officinarum," otherwise known as the mandragora, or, the mandrake plant. The mandrake root, according to ancient folklore, is believed to have grown where a hanging man's semen spilled onto the ground, hence the white substance throughout the videos.

    Philip de Thaun was an Anglo-Norman who wrote a book in the first half of the 20th century. In this book "Bestiary," de Thaun, says the following about the mandrake: "It has two roots, the make of a man and a woman."

    (HA! Jonna and the mystery man!! But waittt, it gets better...) "The man who is to gather it must fly around about it; must take great care that he does not touch it - then let a dog be bound - let it be tied to it." Following these guidelines are instructions to starve the dog, then after three dogs, offer the dog some bread. Naturally, the dog will come running to the food in your hand. Then... "the dog will draw it to him; the root will break; it will send forth a cry; the dog will fall down dead." This explains the six dogs, then the following six graves/crosses in two of the introduction videos!

    (I AM AM I WHO AM I = I AM MANDRAKE. Let's continue...)

    "...if the man heard it, he would directly die - therefore, he must stop his ears and take care that he does not hear the cry. When one has the root, it is of great value for medicine, for it cures every infirmity - except only death."

    The six dogs turn up dead in the introduction videos, this is obvious at seen by the six crosses used as tombstones. I believe Jonna's character in these videos is actually one half of the root (the man being the other; in U-1, it almost seems like they are connected and unified as one) and her voice is symbolic of the mandrake's cry. The cry, as stated above, is believed to be deadly, but also a miracle plant to cure all illness (just like love and faith can be the cure for all despair and sorrow, as well as the perfect weapon to diagnose pain and agony). This is why the tags for the Youtube videos relate so much to life and death. Such examples include the following tags on the introduction videos: fetus, umbilical cord, habitat, moisture, disciple, amniotic fluid, nest, lay, mount, etc.

    Here is another paragraph I found interesting, and this imagery is in several of the iamamiwhoami videos: "A cut of the female mandrake root" ... "cases the figure of a naked woman with the plant shooting into leaf and flower from her head." (Which was blatantly seen in "N")

    Also note that mandrake superstition has been rampant through human ages. As I've said, it's associated with providing life and causing death (more often, death). Some common synonyms for the mandrake are: Satan's Apple, Mandragora, Devil's Testicles, etc. Here is another paragraph I found informative:

    "The officinarum variety is yellow-greenish; the autumnalis variety is purple. The flowers are born on separate stalks, which emerge from the centre of the leaf-rosette. They later give rise to the golden yellowish fruits, that are often referred to as 'apples', which they resemble, though their size approximates more that of a crab-apple or mirabelle. The fruit has a pleasant scent. The root can grow to over half a meter (2 feet) in length and is often strangely forked, which has given rise to anthropomorphic associations, likening their appearance to a human male or female body shape. The root has a tough brown rind but is white inside. The leaves emerge directly from the crown of the root." (Hence the crown she wears in "T") So, why is Jonna covered in black-brown while maintaining her long, blonde locks? Because her body symbolizes the root in the ground, covered in dirt, and (as stated) it has a "brown rind but is white inside."

    The white is shown in "Y" as Jonna sings in the paper house, covered in mud, and her paper dress represents the inner white inside the root. Her hair symbolizes the yellow leaves. Plain and simple. Also, in "T," Jonna is seen covered in the white substance while wearing a crown ("the leaves emerge directly from the crown of the root").

    Here is another paragraph: "Mandrake originates in the eastern Mediterranean region and is distributed throughout southern Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, where it grows in waste places and abandoned fields in sandy and rocky, well draining soil. There is also a species that is endemic to the Himalaya. Nowadays it is cultivated in gardens north of the Alps, but doesn't naturalize there, as it needs a warm and protected setting." This is why Jonna is standing in a flower pot, surrounded by other leaves, in a greenhouse in "O." She IS the mandrake root. She needs that warm and protect setting. Get it?

    Let's address the constant use of six: six was the quantity of dogs, berries, and cats throughout the videos. Six dogs, six cats, six berries. 666, right? Well, it isn't Satanic symbolism; it's just an allusion to the devil and the end, simply because the mandrake has been called The Devil's Apple and The Devil's Testicles. The use of 666 simply signifies the end of a bond. Once you understand the mythology behind the mandrake, iamamiwhoami's videos make MUCH more sense.

    So, here's the big question: Why even use the mandrake symbolism and allusions?

    Well, the mandrake was believed to have a male and female root, right? The root belonged to one plant, one organism, one creation, one being, one idea. This can be symbolic of a love or bond that held significant meaning. However, the root was ripped from the ground and split in two. The female root shrieked, giving birth to Jonna's voice and lyrics.

    In case you haven't noticed, the lyrics are about a love / significant connection to someone or something gone horribly wrong.

    "B" is the initial love / connection. "O" is the sudden halt this love / connection takes. "U-1" is total remorse for this ending. "U-2" is the continued remorse. "N" is the insecurities brought on by this newly found independence. "T" is learning that one has potential by oneself, with or without this person / idea. "Y" is merely IAM personifying her / their hope and moving on.

    :)

    tyakon January 03, 2011   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.