The speaker is intensely angry, and yet the girl’s emotions, her desperation, her hopelessness, come across in XXXTentacion’s flat vocal expression, gradually mounting in feeling until it burns out by the final lyric, “I am the heart marksman.” He sings this last line quickly as if he wants to get it off his tongue as soon as possible, like a confession. I relate to the girl’s experience in this song, in her pain, and how it makes her give up and distance herself from her partner. I also appreciate the amount of self-reflection in the lyrics; it made me connect with the song more and relate my relationship to their dynamic.
I registered a double meaning from certain parts of the song, most notably “You play the victim, I'll play it sane,” which I think could apply to both the girl and the speaker’s dynamic, and the at first mysterious antagonistic character referred to only as “you,” whom the speaker blames for the tragedy permeating the song and their lives, for turning the girl into a “stump,” which is slang for a girl who’s beautiful but has no personality, meaning in the context of the song that this “you” antagonist was abusive and had beaten the hope and soul out of his girlfriend, leaving her a passive shell. The speaker wanted to end the girl’s suffering, whom I assume is a relative or loved one, and take revenge on her behalf. However, he is still haunted somewhat by what he had to do to end that suffering, though he understands (though it may just be self-justification) that ultimately it was his abusive actions that led to the song’s events. Thought I had assumed they were together, I don’t entirely get the sense that this is necessarily a romantic relationship, either, as the lyrics ring of affection and protectiveness but not precisely romantic passion.
By the end of the song, I’m somewhat convinced that the “you” in the song is the speaker referring to themselves, and they are punishing themselves for being abusive towards their partner. The only solution they can see is to commit suicide; “If you don't exist then my pain can be rid’, meaning that the only way their girlfriend can be happy is if he gets rid of himself. He’s shocked into action seeing her in such a broken state and is repulsed by himself, dissociating from that “abuser” side of himself. I loved this song a lot, as it had many layers, and it takes a few listens to grasp possible meanings, which I like in music. Once again, another masterpiece by XXXTentacion!
The speaker is intensely angry, and yet the girl’s emotions, her desperation, her hopelessness, come across in XXXTentacion’s flat vocal expression, gradually mounting in feeling until it burns out by the final lyric, “I am the heart marksman.” He sings this last line quickly as if he wants to get it off his tongue as soon as possible, like a confession. I relate to the girl’s experience in this song, in her pain, and how it makes her give up and distance herself from her partner. I also appreciate the amount of self-reflection in the lyrics; it made me connect with the song more and relate my relationship to their dynamic.
I registered a double meaning from certain parts of the song, most notably “You play the victim, I'll play it sane,” which I think could apply to both the girl and the speaker’s dynamic, and the at first mysterious antagonistic character referred to only as “you,” whom the speaker blames for the tragedy permeating the song and their lives, for turning the girl into a “stump,” which is slang for a girl who’s beautiful but has no personality, meaning in the context of the song that this “you” antagonist was abusive and had beaten the hope and soul out of his girlfriend, leaving her a passive shell. The speaker wanted to end the girl’s suffering, whom I assume is a relative or loved one, and take revenge on her behalf. However, he is still haunted somewhat by what he had to do to end that suffering, though he understands (though it may just be self-justification) that ultimately it was his abusive actions that led to the song’s events. Thought I had assumed they were together, I don’t entirely get the sense that this is necessarily a romantic relationship, either, as the lyrics ring of affection and protectiveness but not precisely romantic passion.
By the end of the song, I’m somewhat convinced that the “you” in the song is the speaker referring to themselves, and they are punishing themselves for being abusive towards their partner. The only solution they can see is to commit suicide; “If you don't exist then my pain can be rid’, meaning that the only way their girlfriend can be happy is if he gets rid of himself. He’s shocked into action seeing her in such a broken state and is repulsed by himself, dissociating from that “abuser” side of himself. I loved this song a lot, as it had many layers, and it takes a few listens to grasp possible meanings, which I like in music. Once again, another masterpiece by XXXTentacion!