| Lykke Li – Hanging High Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Definitely a little bit sadder of a song. These comments seem to miss the physical pain as emotional pain motif. She doesn't mean to be in any physical pain, or cause herself harm, it's just an extended metaphor that comments on how she feels. I think she uses the conceit because it's a direct way of saying how she feels (physical pain is fairly universal), while still being complex enough to cover multiple levels of feeling (physical pain also differs in degree and feel [stinging, pins and needles, sore, etc.]). This is really apparent in that some lines use tangible objects, yet use intangible subjects (Line 1: Oh thunder in my heart, for example). In the example, thunder is not something that can even be felt, yet has a powerful, echoing, negative connotation, and hence substitutes for a tangible pain (Line 2: These razors cutting sharp) She uses this style, therefore, to explain her emotional distress without having to explain the cause. Instead, the fact that this is a cyclic or redundant feeling, for her, takes precedence. Whatever personal gains she feels she has made, whether it be personally, professionally, or simply mentally, are clearly gone ("Back where I started at"). It may even be that she has simply regressed further than before, insinuated by "hanging on a thread that's bound to drop," as normally one would use string involving multiple threads. It's a nod to the generic "hanging by a thread" cliche. One would therefore infer that she has been hanging for a while, and that previous threads have already snapped or unraveled. One again, she doesn't mean to imply SELF harm, however. Although the pain conceit is continued throughout by the metaphor of suicide ("I'm hanging high"), she immediately replies with a plea for help ("Won't you let me down"). She just doesn't understand how she never manages to free herself ("You know I'm a little lost"). She still takes responsibility for the way she feels, to an extent ("But I'll always choose the black in front of white"). All the previous meanings serve as a basis for this single thought. She feels trapped, in being hung, yet doesn't have the tools to get down. She tries, but continuously fails. In reality, she just feels unable to get herself away from the pain that she also repetitiously feels. At the same time, its not completely gloomy because she still has hope ("and when it hurts the most/i'll push a little more"). So in the end, she leaves with both a plea for help and a promise to persevere. I could get deeper, but that was way more than I intended. |
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