A Mess It Grows

The real lyric is "Foolish girl, thought I'd be so lost without HER." At first I thought it was about a friend that chose a boy over their friendship. Then, I heard the "you raised me well" part, and I decided it is about her mother, who got remarried, and sort of replaced her with her new husband. Her mother didn't pay attention to her anymore, and she had to raise herself. "Adolescence left to wither, I didn't have a choice." I think she wrote this song just to sort of slap her mom in the face.

i think it's probably about one of their father's and how he just plainly mistreated them. AMAZING song though, rachel's voice pwns.

To me it's about her father choosing a brother over her. He didn't want a daughter and so preferred his son. She's saying that while she's sad, she's also stronger for it and she doesn't need him.

The real lyric is "Foolish girl, thought I'd be so lost without HER." At first I thought it was about a friend that chose a boy over their friendship. Then, I heard the "you raised me well" part, and I decided it is about her mother, who got remarried, and sort of replaced her with her new husband. Her mother didn't pay attention to her anymore, and she had to raise herself. "Adolescence left to wither, I didn't have a choice." I think she wrote this song just to sort of slap her mom in the face.

(im also recapping the lyrics, because some of these are off, so if there's a difference between mine and these, its because I have the actual lyrics)

This is my interpretation in depth of which basically each line means and adds up to.

I woke up, decided I found my way around this town. Foolish girl, thought I'd be so lost without her. (she has things figured out for herself. she used to think relying on this other woman would be the only way she could live. but now she realizes she can do without.) Adolescence left to wither, I didn't have a choice. (lost a part of her childhood, and was forced to grow up.) It was me or your silly boy. It was me or your silly boy. (this other woman clearly chose a guy over her, and obviously a guy she doesn't like)

Why do I justify what you did wrong to me? (she's been justifying the woman's harm she's done, and she doesn't know why. she knows the woman doesn't deserve it.)

You're love drunk, you're blinded. You've lost the ones who love you most. (telling the woman that this man she's chosen has caused her to be oblivious to the fact that she's losing everything, and she doesn't even realize it.) This liars on fire, melted like wax a mess it grows. (the man is maybe deceiving her, or he's a liar and he's winning, and its out of hand) And you're the one who chose, and thats just how karma goes. (telling the woman she chose the mess who was this lying man, and she got what was coming to her)

Why do I justify what you did wrong to me? (again. she's trying to figure out why she's let the woman off the hook)

Look at me now. Look at me now. Take a look at what I've become. Don't thank yourself I'm finally someone. Look at me now. (telling the woman that she's become somebody, but the woman didn't deserve any credit.) You raised me well I'll give you that, but in my face you surely spat. Would you look at me now? (-inferring now the woman's her mother- she did a good job raising her, but she easily betrayed her. she's begging her mother to take a look at her, to rub in her face that she didn't need her anyways)

Why Oh I Why do I justify what you did wrong to me (again)

I'm alright, and I'm alive. And I'm just fine without you. Without you. (she's done with her mother, she's fine on her own.)

So basically this song is a story of a mothers betrayal to her daughter. The mother obviously picked a man to be in her life that the daughter was opposed to, and chose to keep him there against her daughters comfort. The daughter perceives this man to be a liar and deceiver, and he's causing a mess in her life. The mother isn't realizing that she's screwing both her life, and her daughters up. The daughter gave her mom many chances, justifying the betrayal but she's finally realizing that she can be okay without her mom. The only way will be to grow up quickly, and guide herself to make right. Now the daughters main goal is to tell her mother that she's made bad choices and has lost her daughter. She wants her mother to realize that she's lost her daughter, and her daughter is better off without her.

This is going to be really off topic for what the overall theme of the song is actually about (i.e. A mother neglecting her child and choosing a man over the protection and love for her child etc.) But it's something that I always felt when listening to this song.

A while ago I was sexually assaulted (for lack of a better word) by someone that I loved and regarded as a father figure to me. And He is We is one of my favorite artists, I listen to them a lot. While listening to this song in particular I heard the line "Why do I justify what you did wrong to me?" and it really just hit me and brought me back to that night everything happened.

I was so easy to forgive him and I actually tried to placate him and make him feel better about what he did TO ME. It was insane. I just didn't want to believe how much it actually affected me. A mess it grows, really.