The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth dear
And he shows 'em, pearly white
Just a jack knife has Macheath dear
And he keeps it way out of sight
When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows begin to spread
Fancy gloves though has Macheath dear
So there's never, never a trace of red
On the sidewalk, one Sunday morning
Lies a body, oozin' life
Someone's sneaking 'round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife
From a tugboat, on the river going slow
A cement bag is dropping on down
You know that cement is for the weight dear
You can make a large bet Mackie's back in town
My man Louis Miller, he split the scene babe
After drawing out all the bread from his stash
Now Macheath spends like a sailor
Do you suppose our boy, he's done something rash
Old Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darrin
Did this song nice, Lady Ella too
They all sang it, with so much feeling
That Old Blue Eyes, he ain't gonna add nothing new
But with his big band, jumping behind me
Swinging hard, Jack, I now I can't lose
When I tell you, all about Mack the Knife babe
It's an offer, you can never refuse
We got Patrick Williams, Bill Miller playing that piano
And this great big band, bringing up the rear
All the band cats, in this band now
They make the greatest sounds, you're never gonna hear
Oh Sookie Taudry, Jenny Diver, Polly Peachum, Old Miss Lulu Brown
Hey the line forms, on the right dear
Now that Macheath's back in town
You'd better lock your doors, and call the law
Because Macheath's back in town
Oh, the poor shark,
Yes, the sweet shark,
It has big teeth
Buried deep.
Then there's Macheath
With his big knife,
But it's hidden
In his slip.
And this same shark,
This poor sweet shark,
It sheds red blood
When it bleeds.
Mackie Big Knife
Wears a white glove,
Pure in word and
Pure in deed.
Sunday morning
Lovely blue sky,
There's a corpse stretched
On the Strand.
Who's the man cruisin'
The corner?
Well, it's Mackie,
Knife in hand.
Jenny Towler
Poor wee Jenny,
There they found her
Knife in breast.
Mackie's wandering
On the West Pier
Hoping only
For the best.
Mind that fire burnt
All through Soho.
Seven kids dead
One old flower.
Hey there Mackie,
How is she cuttin'?
Have another
Hold your hour.
And those sweet babes
Under sixteen
Story goes that
Black and blue
For the price of
One good screwing
Mackie, Mackie
How could you?
For the price of
One good screwing
Mackie, Mackie
How could you?
And he shows 'em, pearly white
Just a jack knife has Macheath dear
And he keeps it way out of sight
When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows begin to spread
Fancy gloves though has Macheath dear
So there's never, never a trace of red
On the sidewalk, one Sunday morning
Lies a body, oozin' life
Someone's sneaking 'round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife
From a tugboat, on the river going slow
A cement bag is dropping on down
You know that cement is for the weight dear
You can make a large bet Mackie's back in town
My man Louis Miller, he split the scene babe
After drawing out all the bread from his stash
Now Macheath spends like a sailor
Do you suppose our boy, he's done something rash
Old Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darrin
Did this song nice, Lady Ella too
They all sang it, with so much feeling
That Old Blue Eyes, he ain't gonna add nothing new
But with his big band, jumping behind me
Swinging hard, Jack, I now I can't lose
When I tell you, all about Mack the Knife babe
It's an offer, you can never refuse
We got Patrick Williams, Bill Miller playing that piano
And this great big band, bringing up the rear
All the band cats, in this band now
They make the greatest sounds, you're never gonna hear
Oh Sookie Taudry, Jenny Diver, Polly Peachum, Old Miss Lulu Brown
Hey the line forms, on the right dear
Now that Macheath's back in town
You'd better lock your doors, and call the law
Because Macheath's back in town
Oh, the poor shark,
Yes, the sweet shark,
It has big teeth
Buried deep.
Then there's Macheath
With his big knife,
But it's hidden
In his slip.
And this same shark,
This poor sweet shark,
It sheds red blood
When it bleeds.
Mackie Big Knife
Wears a white glove,
Pure in word and
Pure in deed.
Sunday morning
Lovely blue sky,
There's a corpse stretched
On the Strand.
Who's the man cruisin'
The corner?
Well, it's Mackie,
Knife in hand.
Jenny Towler
Poor wee Jenny,
There they found her
Knife in breast.
Mackie's wandering
On the West Pier
Hoping only
For the best.
Mind that fire burnt
All through Soho.
Seven kids dead
One old flower.
Hey there Mackie,
How is she cuttin'?
Have another
Hold your hour.
And those sweet babes
Under sixteen
Story goes that
Black and blue
For the price of
One good screwing
Mackie, Mackie
How could you?
For the price of
One good screwing
Mackie, Mackie
How could you?
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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Fortnight
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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Great version of a great song,
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Ed Sheeran
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“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.