Porcelain Fists

"Follow your heart", he said. Do what your heart tells you

Your heart will take you there. and it will take you where you need to go.

"Swallow your pride", he said. Don't be egotistic

For pride is anything but rare. as many people are.

So I walked into your eyes without a coat on I looked closer at you to see what I could learn without any safety precautions for me And in the salty sea, I find you're all but gone. Even though it seems you can't be saved, I found that there is hope for you yet. The salty sea is referring to tears, crying.

Take my hand, you're treading water Come with me, you're not on stable ground.

I feel the sand slipping away from underneath our toes The solid ground is leaving us and we are still not stable

Nobody knows Where is it she goes? No one knows where her happy place is, where she escapes to when reality is too much for her

Locked in the bathroom stall (Double Meaning) Literally and she's trapped by her own fear and insecurity.

Your back against the wall. (Double Meaning)Literally and she's cornered. There's nowhere else to go.

Cold tiles beneath your knees, Literally

Your body broke your fall. She's bulimic and weak from purging so she's fallen as she goes to purge again.

Spitting into your own reflection gazing back Not happy with the way she looks, she sees herself in the reflection of the water in the toilet

Inside your porcelain fists, your palms begin to crack. Porcelain is often associated with perfection (porcelain dolls) she seems perfect but really she's breaking down inside. Fists are used for fighting. she's trying to fight herself

When those sad eyes start to close People often close their eyes to go to their happy place, to leave the world for a second.

Nobody knows Where is it she goes? No one knows where her happy place is, where she escapes to when reality is too much for her

When those sad eyes close Same

How's that for a 13 year old???

how has no one commented this song? i feel like it's one of the most beautiful off of this album. it's my personal favorite.

I agree, this is my favorite too :D This may be incorrect, but it's just my interpretation... For the second verse, could she maybe be talking about someone with an eating disorder? Cold tiles beneath your feet - the girl is kneeling in the bathroom Spitting into your own reflection gazing back - she sees her reflection in the toilet Of course, this is my first post on this site and I'm not that good at interpreting songs yet lol but it's just how I see it... sorry if it's like COMPLETELY wrong lol... gorgeous song though :)

doesn't she say "I feel sand slipping away from underneath my toes" the first time also?

i think the basic meaning of the song is about a troubled girl with an eating disorder...and shes barely making it through the day (treading water)...also i think the part about the salty sea is talking about the girl's tears...because that would explain why the person talking in the song would need a raincoat to walk into the girl's eyes...great song though..so beautiful

I agree, I also think this song is about a person struggling with an eating disorder, most probably Anorexia Nervosa or Boulemia. This person is battling this disorder everyday she isn't moving on, she's stuck in this terrible time'treading water' I also think she gets frustrated when she conforms to the disorder 'Inside your porcelain fists, your palms begin to crack' - I really like that line it has such amazing meaning and imagery attached to it. I love this song in general.

I don't think that this song is about a girl with an eating disorder. I think it's about a girl who's being raped. This is just mine interpretation but I think it makes sense.

"Follow your heart", he said. Your heart will take you there. (It's like somebody who she trust tells her that)

"Swallow your pride", he said. For pride is anything but rare. (Again, she'll do this because this words are from someone who she believes 'cause she's just a child)

So I walked into your eyes without a raincoat on. (She didn't think that this person could hurt her, so she wasn't prepared for tears)

And in the salty sea, I find you're all but gone. (She doesn't recognize this person anymore)

Take my hand, you're treading water I feel I am slipping away from underneath my toes Nobody knows Where is it she goes? (She wants to get away so she just closes her eyes and hopes it's going to past soon, maybe she also wants to die?? )

Looked in the bathroom stall Your back against the wall. Cold tiles beneath your knees, Your body broke your fall. (she reminds her self on what happened)

Spitting into your own reflection gazing back Inside your porcelain fists, your palms begin to crack. (she can't look her self in the mirror, she feels filthy, she breaks the mirror.. porcelain fists symbolize innocence so I assumed she's just a little girl)

So take my hand your treading water And I feel sand slipping underneath my toes Nobody knows Where is it she goes? When those sad eyes start to close Nobody knows Where is it she goes? When those sad eyes close (and then again, she's thinking about suicid, she wants to drown in a river ??, not shure about this part)

Such an amazing song, yet so hard to listen. Ingrid Michaelson put so much feelings in her music and that's why I love her <3

Most songs that were not well known in their time, such as this, I find from (go ahead and make fun) fanvideos.

I heard only a small portion of the song and instantly fell in love with the beauty and sadness of it. In regards to the video, the song was interpreted as heartbreak. She was suffering from a painful relationship that did not end well. Now, this is very general, because I still consider this an option as far as how I interpret it. On the other hand, I can also agree with the person above me in the case that it could involve violence or rape. Though I could never tell you the true meaning that Ingrid Michaelson intended, I do have my own visions based on the source in which I first discovered this masterpiece!

I absolutely adore this song and I'm pretty sure that the line ''inside your porcelain fists, your palms begin to crack'' means that someone who seems very strong, is actually fragile and breaking inside. But I have know idea what the rest if the song is about, so I'm just going to listen it and think how beautiful it is.

This is about a person with Bulimia. It's not about a failed relationship or anything like that. It is about Bulimia