| Mumford & Sons – Broken Crown Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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To me, this is about someone who feels very very bad about himself and who condemns himself for his (real or imagined) sinfulness. The first two verses are all about feeling a great temptation, a physically tangible urge to sin, and taking drastic measures in order to resist. He locks himself away to avoid making a bad choice, or any choice at all. He is incredibly fearful, anxious, and physically tense, and maybe he relieves that tension in sex, as is later suggested: "I took the road and I fucked it all away". The third verse actually makes a lot of sense when thinking of the song's story as trying to stay away from a toxic partner after the relationship is over, possibly through cheating. And I believe that he did something bad, either to her or to the person she was cheating with, because in verse four, he initially speaks in the past tense, indicating that he did something bad while knowing full well that he might and still risking it. Now he doesn't want to repeat the same mistake, so he tries hard to steer clear of sin. He begs for someone to help him, to "Hold [his] hand /consign [him] not to darkness", but he won't accept the "grace" or forgiveness this person - be it Jesus or simply a friend - offers because he believes himself to be a sinner at heart ("crawl on my belly" -> biblical snake) precisely because resisting takes such a huge effort. Only in the last line is he beginning to see hope, cluthing at a straw: "But in this twilight our choices seal our fate". He's finally realizing that by choosing not to sin, he has already proven himself, that it's not his animal urges that count but his decisions. |
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| Rihanna – Disturbia Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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To me, this song just screams EATING DISORDER. Almost every line makes sense in that context. Having been through an ED myself, I relate quite strongly to some of these lyrics. I'd say it's most likely about someone suffering from anorexia nervosa (or ednos... or a bulimic with a very low BMI). No more gas in the red Can't even get it started When you're severely underweight, your body is very damaged. You experience a dramatic loss of energy; you are constantly tired. When you stop eating, your body is deprived of its "fuel" and can't funciton correctly - quite like a car running out of gas. "In the red" is obviously about 'negative' data. I'm not sure what kind of data it is because anorexics obsess over their body weight, calory intake, clothes size, BMI... Their heads are literally filled with numbers. People who are affected by such a disease also tend to think in black-and-white terms (or red-and-green, for that matter), i.e. weight loss = good, weight gain = bad. Whether this person has eaten "too many" calories or gained 0,001 pound hardly matters; the important thing about this line is the way in which numbers affect an anorexic's life, mood, and self-esteem. Nothing heard, nothing said Can't even speak about it Eating Disorders are still a taboo topic in our society; most people suffering from one would rather cut their own tongues out than talk about it; instead they do everything in their power to keep others from finding out about their disease. It's a part of the illness to want to protect it. Those around the disordered person also tend to ignore the problem with all their might. An ED is not the kind of thing you want to acknowledge in your environment, especially in a loved one. Plus, they are often scared of how the person would react if they brought it up, scared of saying the wrong thing, scared that they might be wrong... So they look away and ignore all the signs and sounds. All my life on my head Don't want to think about it One of the most frightening parts about Eating Disorders is that they alter the victim's train of thought. It usually takes a very long time before the person realizes that they have a problem; and even then, thinking about your disorder is something you'd rather avoid doing. Feels like I'm going insane Yeah This is self-explanatory, I think. Eating Disorders are mental illnesses. They sabotage your self-image, happiness, success, and social abilities. All you think about is food, and fasting, and numbers, and the way your body looks as opposed to how it should look. You can't even eat a cookie without wanting to rip out your stomach right after. Once a victim realizes what's going on, these things are frustrating to no end and will often cause even more despair and self-hate. It's a thief in the night To come and grab you It can creep up inside you And consume you Eating Disorders don't just happen in a day or two. Most importantly, you don't SEE them happen; they just grow and grow in the dark corners of your mind, taking over your thoughts bit by bit until suddenly, you realize something's wrong - but at that point, you're already in too deep. A disease of the mind It can control you Again, self-explanatory, I believe. It's too close for comfort When approached by a friend or family member - or even a doctor - a person with an ED will more often than not refuse their help. Even if they realize that they are sick and are aware of the ways in which the disorder is interfering with their life, the disorder has often become so entwined with the person's own personality that it's incredibly hard to tell what is "Me" and what is "It". ED's are developed specifically because the person needs a way to cope with their emotions, and as the illness progresses, most other coping mechanisms are abandoned. This is only one of the reasons why a lot of ED victims believe that even though the illness is harming them, its up-sides outnumber the downsides and that they could not live without it anymore. Put on your pretty lies ED makes you lie. Easy as that. You'll lie about how much and what you've eaten, about your exercise, about not feeling well, about not liking your favorite foods; You'll make up excuse after excuse, and the biggest lie of all: You will invest every last bit of energy into convincing everyone around that you're just fine, that you don't have a problem and don't need help. We're in the city of wonder Ain't gonna play nice Watch out, you might just go under This might be a reference to show-biz. Science proves that people involved in glamorous careers such as actresses, singers, models etc. are much more likely to develop an ED. Better think twice Your train of thought will be altered So if you must falter be wise As I’ve already explained, an Eating Disorder changes the way you think. It reorganizes your priorities, it makes you believe in a false logic, it makes you see yourself in the worst possible way. Your mind is in Disturbia It's like the darkness is the light Again with the firm belief that the ED is your friend, that it is helping, that food is the enemy (and so is anyone who tries to take the disorder away from you). You keep running further and further into the wrong direction. Even when the illness makes you miserable, ruins your social life etc., you’ll still believe that if you lose even more weight, it’ll all get better eventually. The ED keeps failing you, failing to provide all the things it promised (beauty, happiness, popularity, self-love …), but despite everything your faith in it just grows stronger and stronger. It’s very hard to explain and even harder to understand if you’ve never felt it. Disturbia Am I scaring you tonight Most people with an ED try to keep it a secret at all costs and feel extremely guilty about betraying those who love them; some develop a deep satisfaction at the thought of making those who hurt them realize just how bad it really was. Disturbia Ain't used to what you like I’ll admit it, I don’t know what this is supposed to mean. It could be a somewhat patronizing statement made towards all “healthy” people who express disgust with the disordered person’s behaviors; as in, “I used to think like you once, but as soon as you’ve tasted this, I promise you’ll realize it’s much better than to be fat.” Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum This could, theoretically, be a beating heart. That’s what I hear, anyway — a heart that’s still beating, measuring life, but it is in danger and you never know how long it will keep beating. Faded pictures on the wall It's like they talkin' to me A reference to thinspiration — pictures of very thin people that some anorexics/etc. look at in order to “stay strong” and “focused on their goals”. Disconnecting phone calls Your phone don't even ring Eating disorders — especially anorexia — tend to lead a person into social isolation. There is no more room in your head to think about other people; the illness takes it all up. The same thing happens to your time, and energy. I gotta get out Or figure this shit out It's too close for comfort I believe that here, the person is beginning to realize just how shitty life with an ED really is. They know they need to get help, get better, get out, but they can’t because — as I’ve already mentioned — they believe that they are dependent on their disorder, and that life without it will be even harder. Release me from this curse I'm in I've been trying to maintain But I'm struggling This is clearly an attempt at self-administered recovery. The person is trying to maintain their weight, but it’s hard because the disorder is still very much there in the back of their head, telling them to starve again. If you can't, go, go, go This “If you can’t” refers to the earlier plea of “Release me from this curse I’m in”. An anorexic will be very eager to condemn all attempts at recovery as soon as possible; if they’ve been on a new routine for a week and they’re not getting better, they will often believe that they have failed and go back to their old ways if you let them (likely with a sense of relief). I think I'm going to oh, oh, oh And finally, here they are, extremely triggered and about to lose control. The song ends on that note; It is unclear whether the person is successful in their recovery or not. Overall, I find this song extremely relatable. I think it feels that way to anyone with an ED — at least, anyone who has admitted to themselves that they are sick (whether they want to recover or not). |
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