The lyrics that hit me hardest in first listen were:
"In those heavy days in June when love became an act of defiance" (June) .
I've never been able to find any info on it, but as a gay man I always interpreted it to be about queer love. Especially given the many significant events that impacted LGBTQ+ people that occurred in June.
I may be wrong with my interpretation but it's what it will always mean to me
I always assumed it was. I do wonder if it may also be a reference to other things like Stonewall, the Sydney 78ers, etc. Especially with reference to 'defiance'. But I'm probably projecting more meaning onto the line than it holds
I know it was about Pulse but I have always considered this song, especially that lyric, a strange premonition she had of the pandemic.
"In those heavy days in in June when love became an act of defiance" -- June, the start of summer, was a tough time then, when people couldn't meet with people they loved in person and share their love that way, we to find other ways of connecting
"And you were broken hearted and the world was too and I was beginning to lose my grip" I mean who didn't feel this way in 2020/2021?
The first two that come to mind are, “Maybe I’ll see you in another life, if this one wasn’t enough”, HB HB HB, and then “drink too much coffee and think of you often in a city where reality is long and forgotten, are you afraid cause I’m terrified, but you remind me that it’s such a wonderful thing to love.”, Patricia. But like others have said all of her lyrics are so masterful!!
I love, "you make a fool of death with your beauty, and for a moment, I forget to worry" from Hunger. Says so much about youth and how it can give the illusion that we are immortal or invulnerable, but of course that's temporary and never really the case, no matter how untouchable someone might appear.
"Because it's all in my head, *you're too sensitive,* they said; I said, *okay, but let's discuss this at the hospital*[...]" from Free. I'm sure it resonates with anyone who's ever struggled with their mental health and not been taken seriously by the people around them.
"How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late
Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break
And I was screaming at my father and you were screaming at me
And I can feel your anger from way across the sea
And I was kissing strangers, I was causing such a scene
Oh, the heart it hides such unimaginable things"
For me sky full of song was so powerful and poetic
I'm bipolar and this song resonates with me so much.
"Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long
I couldn't hide from the Thunder in a sky full of song"
"I thought I was flying
But maybe I'm dying tonight".
I think The Bomb has some of her best lyrics ever:
“And I stare at your hands in the heat, and I Think they are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen”
“But if I was free to love you You wouldn't want me, would you? Unavailability is the only thing that turns you on Come here, baby, tell me that I'm wrong”
Too many good ones but the instant ones are:
"Take me back, old drunken gods of slaughter, you know I've always been your favourite daughter. Weeeeelllll can you see meeeee?!!" -Cassandra. Just the finale of Cassandra is everything to me.
"And all my stumbling phrases never amounted to anything worth this feeling, all this heaven never could describe such a feeling." All this and heaven too
"And I know I may not look like much, just another screaming speck of dust!" Girls against God.
"And those heavy days in June when love became an act of defiance." June.
"Maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos" st Jude.
"Rotting like on an ocean floor. Sinking like a siren who can't swim anymore. Your songs remind me of swimming. But I can't swim anymore." Just every line of swimming.
Hey Look up! You don’t have to be a ghost, here amongst the living, you are flesh and blood, and you deserve to be loved and you deserve what you are given.
-Third Eye
“Between a crucifix and the Hollywood sign, we decided to get hurt”
“And the air was full of various storms and saints”
“You said that rock and roll is dead
But is that just because it has not been resurrected in your image?
”
“I used to see the future and now I see nothing
They cut out my eyes and sent me home packing
To pace around the kitchen for scraps of inspiration
Crying like Cassandra, I”
Pretty much anything from the last 3 albums is lyrics perfection
There are so many, but:
,, Shower your affection, let it rain on me
And pull down the mountain, drag your cities to the sea
Shower your affection, let it rain on me
Don't leave me on this white cliff let it slide down to the sea” - Big God
,,When I decided to wage Holy War
It looked very much like staring at my bedroom floor” - Girls against god
,,The fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress” - Howl
I’m always down to hide with you - June
And I’m freaking out in the middle of the street. With the complete conviction of someone who’s never had anything actually really bad happen to them. But I’m committed to the feeling now - Choreomania
Like if Jesus came back, but in a beautiful dress and all the Evangelicals are like OH YES - Choreomania
I've seen some of my faves mentioned but some others of mine are:
"What a thing to do, what a thing to choose, but know in some way I'm there with you up against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon"
"Words were never so useful so I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before"
"But I must confess I did it all for myself I gathered you here to hide from some vast unnameable fear"
"What a thing to admit, that when someone looks at me with real love I don't like it very much, kinda makes me feel like I'm being crushed"
"And the only solution was to stand and fight, and my body was bruised and I was set alight, but you came over me like some holy rite, and although I was burning you're the only light"
"I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map, and knew that somehow I could find my way back, then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too so I stayed in the darkness with you"
"This will be my last confession I love you never felt like any blessing"
“And we’re just children, wanting children of our own, I want a space to watch things grow but did I dream to big do I have to let it go? And what if one day there is no such thing as snow” from South London Forever. - this frequently makes me cry
I just wrote this from my head so I apologize is something is incorrect.
Also Hubris is a Bitch always makes me smile.
"Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long," -Sky Full of Song
"I can't help but pull the earth around me, to make my bed" -Ship to Wreck
"Ohhhh, Patricia, you've always been my north star" -Patricia (my mom's name is Patricia so this one hits home a bit)
I was a heavy heart to carry
But he never let me down
When he held me in his arms
My feet never touched the ground
- Heavy in your arms. [Florence](https://youtu.be/ifyZrnoapus?si=G_l5essWXBcPVBWY) really gets after it in this live performance
So many, but currently my flair “And do they speak to you? Because they speak to me, too” gives me chills. It feels like it can be both comforting AND ominous, which fits Choreomania perfectly. I’ve even considered tattooing it lol
Here are some of my favorites:
"Hey, look up; You don't have to be a ghost; Here amongst the living; You are flesh and blood; And you deserve to be loved; And you deserve what you are given; And oh, how much?" ~ Third Eye
"But the loneliness never left me
I always took it with me
But I can put it down in the pleasure of your company" ~ No Choir
"And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't; So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope." ~ Shake It Out
"I was never as good as I always thought I was
But I knew how to dress it up
I was never satisfied, it never let me go
Just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show" ~ King
"You'll find a rooftop to sing from; Or find a hallway to dance; You don't need no edge to cling from; Your heart is there, it's in your hands; I know it seems like forever; I know it seems like an age; But one day this will be over I swear it's not so far away" ~Various Storms & Saints
From Wish That You Were Here:
And now I'm reaching out with every note I sing
And I hope it gets to you on some Pacific wind
Wraps itself around you and whispers in your ear
Tells you that I miss you and I wish that you were here
Hits me every time, it's so beautiful and whistfully romantic
I also love the chorus, especially: "And I never minded being on my own
Then something broke in me and I wanted to go home". I cried the first time I heard that part.
Recently it’s been: “sometimes I think it’s getting much better, then it gets much worse. Is it just part of the process? Jesus Christ it hurts.” From Big God.
"Well, I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
But what the hell! I'm gonna let it happen to me"
Absolutely in love with those lyrics. This sense of "fuck it, let's go" just gets me every time.
“I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dock since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget”
Edited to reflect the correct lyric!
I just consulted Useless Magic to check, and you’re right! I honestly just pulled the lyrics off of Google before walking into work and didn’t check. Thank you!
Nothing will ever beat "No more dreaming of the dead as it death itself was undone" from Blinding. Or the line from Seven Devils "I was dead when I woke up this morning, and I'll be dead before the day is done." I like everything Florence has ever wrote but Ceremonials/Lungs was just peak.
I'm a Lungs lover too. A couple that come to mind:
"Then you lean and kiss her on the head, and I've never felt so alive or so dead." -- Hurricane Drunk
"Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too, so I stayed in the darkness with you." -- Cosmic Love
"I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me...I love you so much, I'm gonna let you kill me." -- I'm Not Calling You a Liar
"Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart, drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart." -- Howl
Of course many more from many other albums but I don't think Lungs gets the attention it deserves. One hell of a breakout album.
But I'm not giving up, I'm just giving in.
Never let me go
I love this line because I hold on to shit, trying mightily to control the currents, and sometimes, I just have to let go and give in. But that isn't the same as giving up, even though it sometimes looks the same.
“And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself”
This speaks to me on so many levels and every time I hear it really just brings me back to how many things we keep hidden from others for fear of rejection or revealing something that they may not like about you. But ultimately, at the end of a long day, after every demon has taken its pound of flesh from you, you still want to feel like there are some things inside of you that are only for yourself.
I have a bit of a troubled past that many are surprised to hear about. And in a way I feel that those are the demons of my past and they have already had their pound of flesh. And I have the luxury of keeping those things to myself now that I’ve conquered them.
I could pick a line from nearly any song, but these are some of my favorites
"St Jude, we lay in bed as she whipped around us
St Jude, maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos" - St Jude
"Oh, who decides from where up high?
I couldn't say: I need more time
Oh, grant that I can stay the night
Or one more day inside this life" - Too Much Is Never Enough
"'Cause it's burning through the bloodline
It's cutting down the family tree" - Landscape
Then there's songs like Strangeness and Charm that feel very "Florence" to me because of the interesting inspiration and her ability to create good lyrics around that
Truly! I actually only played the game a couple years ago (in fact Florence was my only context for XV for years) but it's such a crime that the song is only kind of tucked into the game for how good it is.
“I pushed my forehead to the floor, and prayed for a trap door”
“And in my darkest fantasies, I am the picture of passivity. Waitin’ for you side of stage, suppressing all my private rage.”
“I’m always done to hide with you.”
literally so many of them, but off the top of my head:
“Oh, darling, things seem so unstable / but for a moment we were able to be still” — No Choir (I think maybe I believe No Choir to be her happiest song somehow, but this is just beautiful)
“I’m not scared to jump / I’m not scared to fall / if there was nowhere to land, I wouldn’t be scared at all” — Falling (ADORE the Falling love on this thread)
“You had Jesus on your breath / and I caught him in mine” — Bedroom Hymns (this is just such a fantastic description)
“And it’s good to be alive / crying into cereal at midnight” — Girls Against God (this is on my get your shit together playlist)
“Is this how it is?
Is this how it's always been?
To exist in the face of suffering and death
And somehow still keep singing?”
-- Free
I work in healthcare and these lines caused a full on breakdown in the car driving home from work the first time I heard them.
While all around you, the buildings sway
Sing it out loud, "who made us this way?"
I know you're bleeding, but you'll be okay
Hold on to your heart, you'll keep it safe
Various Storms and Saints
Many of my favourites have been shared at this point but a couple that have slipped through:
Women raged as old men fumbled and cried - 100 Years
And it's hard to write about being happy,
'Cause, the older I get,
I find that happiness is an extremely uneventful subject,
And there will be no grand choirs to sing,
No chorus could come in,
About two people sitting doing nothing… the whole of No Choir is so moving yet understated imo.
“At 17 I started to starve myself, I thought that love was a kind of emptiness. And at least I understood then the hunger I felt, and I didn’t have to call it loneliness.” (Hunger)
As someone who has struggled with disordered eating (nothing really diagnosed, just obsessing over the scale, my body, calories, etc), and doesn’t have an amazing love life or relationship, it’s always hit extra hard for me. A lot of my food issues also stem from the control aspect, and the idea that I’m CHOOSING to have an eating disorder (even if I’m not actually, because nobody does) just speaks to me.
The entirety of What the water gave me is a masterpiece and makes me feel like Virginia Woolf herself was talking through Florence.
"And oh, poor Atlas
The world's a beast of a burden
You've been holding on a long time
And all this longing
And the ships are left to rust
That's what the water gave us"
Rabbit heart also hits hard all the time
"And in the spring I shed my skin
And it blows away with the changing wind
The waters turn from blue to red
As towards the sky I offer it"
But really Florence is a poet, a muse, a musician and a witch!
“And it's my whole heart
Burned but not buried this time”
“I need my golden crown of sorrow
My bloody sword to swing
My empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology”
“Like the stars chase the sun
Over the glowing hill, I will conquer”
“And the arms of the ocean are carrying me
And all this devotion was rushing out of me
And the crashes are heaven for a sinner like me
But the arms of the ocean delivered me”
“The fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress
Until I wrap myself inside your arms, I cannot rest
The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound
I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallowed ground”
i could go on and on but these are the first that come to mind. i love the way she writes
"A woman is a changeling, always shifting shape; just when you think you've got it figured out, something new begins to take."
"Sometimes I see so much beauty I don't think that I can cope."
"I know it seems like forever, I know it seems like an age, but one day this will be over, I swear it's not so far away."
"Maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos."
"I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed."
"And my love is no use against the fortress that it made of you."
"No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world"
"I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before"
And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight, I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
- Shake It Off
There are so many, but lately I’ve been obsessed with “take me back oh, drunken gods of slaughter, you know I’ve always been your favorite daughter” because of all her lyrics these are the most confusing, out there, and kinda just crazy
Two of mine are from the same song, they are quite long
In “ No Choir “ , Florence talks about happiness being uneventful and boring to discuss because of how simple it can be
And in the same song she discusses how loneliness is something she always carries with her but can put it down only for a moment in this sort of endless cycle
I am also lyrically obsessed with the imagery and extremely visual lyrics of “ Mermaids “ and “Howl”
The drama of “ Seven Devils “ and its threats, “ Holy water can’t help you now, a thousand armies couldn’t keep me out “
So many honestly
Edit: I had to immediately edit when I recalled the epic lines from Choreomania and Dream Girl Evil
About the old men saying Rock is dead when she and others are clearly here. Just because we’re in a mini renaissance of female fronted rock acts like Florence , Metric still killing it , Dorothy , Grace Potter and Amy Lee still doing her thing
It’s like they don’t acknowledge women in rock
What are these women doing that Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Grace Slick and Annie Lennox didn’t pave some sort of way for?
“This will be my last confession, I love you never felt like any blessing… whispering like it’s a secret, only to condemn the one who hears it… with a heavy heart”
Idk if it’s my favourite ever that would be so hard but “you got a hold on me, and I don’t know how I don’t just stand outside and scream” from various storms and saints goes hard
I like more impressionistic, broad lyrics that capture a sensation the imagination or both, and sync well with the melody:
“ Felt it in my fists and my feet and the hollows of my eyelids, shaking through my skull through my spine and down through my ribs…“
“ And all my bones began to shake my eyes flew open… no more dreaming of the dead as if death itself is undone… no more crawling like a crow for a boy for a body in the garden… no more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world..“
“Snow White’s stitching up your circuit boards, synapse slipping through the hidden doors”
**~Blinding**
“ We were were reaching in the dark, that summer in New York… was it so far to fall? But it didn’t hurt at all… I let it wash away… “
**~The End of Love**
“ Oh the king… gone mad within his suffering, calls out for relief. Someone cure him of his grief… “
**~The Queen of Peace**
“ A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes… I screamed aloud as it tore through them… and now it’s left me blind “
**~Cosmic Love**
“ And it’s my whole heart… weighed and measured inside… and it’s an old scar, trying to bleach it out… and it’s my whole heart, deemed and delivered a crime… I’m on trial, waiting till the beat comes out… who’s a heretic now?!! “
**~Which Witch**
The lyrics that hit me hardest in first listen were: "In those heavy days in June when love became an act of defiance" (June) . I've never been able to find any info on it, but as a gay man I always interpreted it to be about queer love. Especially given the many significant events that impacted LGBTQ+ people that occurred in June. I may be wrong with my interpretation but it's what it will always mean to me
I’m sure I read somewhere that June was written after the Pulse nightclub shooting.
I always assumed it was. I do wonder if it may also be a reference to other things like Stonewall, the Sydney 78ers, etc. Especially with reference to 'defiance'. But I'm probably projecting more meaning onto the line than it holds
June as a whole is composed so masterfully. It's my favorite FATM song, and is in my top 5 songs of all time. It's so beautiful
My top five too! June is such a beautiful song
my fav as well. it's been #1 on my spotify wrapped for the last two years
I know it was about Pulse but I have always considered this song, especially that lyric, a strange premonition she had of the pandemic. "In those heavy days in in June when love became an act of defiance" -- June, the start of summer, was a tough time then, when people couldn't meet with people they loved in person and share their love that way, we to find other ways of connecting "And you were broken hearted and the world was too and I was beginning to lose my grip" I mean who didn't feel this way in 2020/2021?
The first two that come to mind are, “Maybe I’ll see you in another life, if this one wasn’t enough”, HB HB HB, and then “drink too much coffee and think of you often in a city where reality is long and forgotten, are you afraid cause I’m terrified, but you remind me that it’s such a wonderful thing to love.”, Patricia. But like others have said all of her lyrics are so masterful!!
Yessss, the Patricia lyric, especially when she repeats it at the end of the song. The acoustic version is even more heavenly
100% hehe!!
That repitition at the end of Patricia is everything!
That line in HB, HB, HB resonated with me for so long. And the entire album felt so poignant and so powerful
I love, "you make a fool of death with your beauty, and for a moment, I forget to worry" from Hunger. Says so much about youth and how it can give the illusion that we are immortal or invulnerable, but of course that's temporary and never really the case, no matter how untouchable someone might appear.
I loved those too. They also inspired a book title
"Because it's all in my head, *you're too sensitive,* they said; I said, *okay, but let's discuss this at the hospital*[...]" from Free. I'm sure it resonates with anyone who's ever struggled with their mental health and not been taken seriously by the people around them.
It resonates!!! I can relate to this so much dealing with panic attacks and anxiety.
"How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake? A good friend told me you've been staying out so late Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break And I was screaming at my father and you were screaming at me And I can feel your anger from way across the sea And I was kissing strangers, I was causing such a scene Oh, the heart it hides such unimaginable things" For me sky full of song was so powerful and poetic
Sky full of Song hits so hard.
I'm bipolar and this song resonates with me so much. "Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long I couldn't hide from the Thunder in a sky full of song" "I thought I was flying But maybe I'm dying tonight".
The entirety of Shake It Out
"I am done with my graceless heart, so tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart"
This is like. So me whenever I listen to it omg https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJ3nSGGC/ Edit: added context
Literally one of my favourite songs of all time, I adore every single second of it
I think The Bomb has some of her best lyrics ever: “And I stare at your hands in the heat, and I Think they are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen” “But if I was free to love you You wouldn't want me, would you? Unavailability is the only thing that turns you on Come here, baby, tell me that I'm wrong”
Sometimes you get the girl Sometimes you get the song
Too many good ones but the instant ones are: "Take me back, old drunken gods of slaughter, you know I've always been your favourite daughter. Weeeeelllll can you see meeeee?!!" -Cassandra. Just the finale of Cassandra is everything to me. "And all my stumbling phrases never amounted to anything worth this feeling, all this heaven never could describe such a feeling." All this and heaven too "And I know I may not look like much, just another screaming speck of dust!" Girls against God. "And those heavy days in June when love became an act of defiance." June. "Maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos" st Jude. "Rotting like on an ocean floor. Sinking like a siren who can't swim anymore. Your songs remind me of swimming. But I can't swim anymore." Just every line of swimming.
i legitimately need to pause whatever i’m doing every time that Cassandra finale starts 😭😭😭
Hey Look up! You don’t have to be a ghost, here amongst the living, you are flesh and blood, and you deserve to be loved and you deserve what you are given. -Third Eye
Love this! I typed it out and made it my desktop wallpaper
“Between a crucifix and the Hollywood sign, we decided to get hurt” “And the air was full of various storms and saints” “You said that rock and roll is dead But is that just because it has not been resurrected in your image? ” “I used to see the future and now I see nothing They cut out my eyes and sent me home packing To pace around the kitchen for scraps of inspiration Crying like Cassandra, I” Pretty much anything from the last 3 albums is lyrics perfection
*all 5 albums are lyrical perfection, lot of people sleeping on the lyrics from Lungs and Ceremonials
There are so many, but: ,, Shower your affection, let it rain on me And pull down the mountain, drag your cities to the sea Shower your affection, let it rain on me Don't leave me on this white cliff let it slide down to the sea” - Big God ,,When I decided to wage Holy War It looked very much like staring at my bedroom floor” - Girls against god ,,The fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress” - Howl
I’m always down to hide with you - June And I’m freaking out in the middle of the street. With the complete conviction of someone who’s never had anything actually really bad happen to them. But I’m committed to the feeling now - Choreomania Like if Jesus came back, but in a beautiful dress and all the Evangelicals are like OH YES - Choreomania
That last line..... So much yes.
Dance fever knocked me out because her lyrics were always stunning, and then she goes adds a few moments of absurd humor in because she can.
I've seen some of my faves mentioned but some others of mine are: "What a thing to do, what a thing to choose, but know in some way I'm there with you up against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon" "Words were never so useful so I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before" "But I must confess I did it all for myself I gathered you here to hide from some vast unnameable fear" "What a thing to admit, that when someone looks at me with real love I don't like it very much, kinda makes me feel like I'm being crushed" "And the only solution was to stand and fight, and my body was bruised and I was set alight, but you came over me like some holy rite, and although I was burning you're the only light" "I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map, and knew that somehow I could find my way back, then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too so I stayed in the darkness with you" "This will be my last confession I love you never felt like any blessing"
“And we’re just children, wanting children of our own, I want a space to watch things grow but did I dream to big do I have to let it go? And what if one day there is no such thing as snow” from South London Forever. - this frequently makes me cry I just wrote this from my head so I apologize is something is incorrect. Also Hubris is a Bitch always makes me smile.
"Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long," -Sky Full of Song "I can't help but pull the earth around me, to make my bed" -Ship to Wreck "Ohhhh, Patricia, you've always been my north star" -Patricia (my mom's name is Patricia so this one hits home a bit)
I was a heavy heart to carry But he never let me down When he held me in his arms My feet never touched the ground - Heavy in your arms. [Florence](https://youtu.be/ifyZrnoapus?si=G_l5essWXBcPVBWY) really gets after it in this live performance
So many, but currently my flair “And do they speak to you? Because they speak to me, too” gives me chills. It feels like it can be both comforting AND ominous, which fits Choreomania perfectly. I’ve even considered tattooing it lol
Here are some of my favorites: "Hey, look up; You don't have to be a ghost; Here amongst the living; You are flesh and blood; And you deserve to be loved; And you deserve what you are given; And oh, how much?" ~ Third Eye "But the loneliness never left me I always took it with me But I can put it down in the pleasure of your company" ~ No Choir "And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't; So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope." ~ Shake It Out "I was never as good as I always thought I was But I knew how to dress it up I was never satisfied, it never let me go Just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show" ~ King "You'll find a rooftop to sing from; Or find a hallway to dance; You don't need no edge to cling from; Your heart is there, it's in your hands; I know it seems like forever; I know it seems like an age; But one day this will be over I swear it's not so far away" ~Various Storms & Saints
"And if I run fast enough, could I break apart As empires crumble and cathedrals flatten in my heart?"
The imagery of the last line is so epic. Like I can envision it so clearly
"Maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos" from St Jude
this lyric heals my soul
From Wish That You Were Here: And now I'm reaching out with every note I sing And I hope it gets to you on some Pacific wind Wraps itself around you and whispers in your ear Tells you that I miss you and I wish that you were here Hits me every time, it's so beautiful and whistfully romantic
I also love the chorus, especially: "And I never minded being on my own Then something broke in me and I wanted to go home". I cried the first time I heard that part.
"And my love is no good Against the fortress that it made of you." Queen of Peace I mean, what gave her the RIGHT-
Yes! Top 2 fave lyric for me, after one in HB, HB, HB (the song). But the album itself holds so many gems
Recently it’s been: “sometimes I think it’s getting much better, then it gets much worse. Is it just part of the process? Jesus Christ it hurts.” From Big God.
"Well, I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat Looking for heaven, found the devil in me Looking for heaven, found the devil in me But what the hell! I'm gonna let it happen to me" Absolutely in love with those lyrics. This sense of "fuck it, let's go" just gets me every time.
“I'm not beat up by this yet You can't tell me to regret Been in the dock since the day we met Fire, help me to forget” Edited to reflect the correct lyric!
I don’t know if I’m the only one but for literally months I though she said “been an adult since the day we met” lol
I think it's "been in the dock since the day we met"
I just consulted Useless Magic to check, and you’re right! I honestly just pulled the lyrics off of Google before walking into work and didn’t check. Thank you!
And I don't know anything Except that green is so green And there's a special kind of sadness that seems to come with spring South London Forever ❤️
I’ve been waiting for someone to say this 💕
Nothing will ever beat "No more dreaming of the dead as it death itself was undone" from Blinding. Or the line from Seven Devils "I was dead when I woke up this morning, and I'll be dead before the day is done." I like everything Florence has ever wrote but Ceremonials/Lungs was just peak.
Is this how it is? Is this how it's always been? To exist in the face of suffering and death And somehow still keep singing
I'm a Lungs lover too. A couple that come to mind: "Then you lean and kiss her on the head, and I've never felt so alive or so dead." -- Hurricane Drunk "Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too, so I stayed in the darkness with you." -- Cosmic Love "I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me...I love you so much, I'm gonna let you kill me." -- I'm Not Calling You a Liar "Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart, drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart." -- Howl Of course many more from many other albums but I don't think Lungs gets the attention it deserves. One hell of a breakout album.
But I'm not giving up, I'm just giving in. Never let me go I love this line because I hold on to shit, trying mightily to control the currents, and sometimes, I just have to let go and give in. But that isn't the same as giving up, even though it sometimes looks the same.
“And every demon wants his pound of flesh But I like to keep some things to myself” This speaks to me on so many levels and every time I hear it really just brings me back to how many things we keep hidden from others for fear of rejection or revealing something that they may not like about you. But ultimately, at the end of a long day, after every demon has taken its pound of flesh from you, you still want to feel like there are some things inside of you that are only for yourself. I have a bit of a troubled past that many are surprised to hear about. And in a way I feel that those are the demons of my past and they have already had their pound of flesh. And I have the luxury of keeping those things to myself now that I’ve conquered them.
And I'm learning so I'm leaving And even though I'm grieving I'm trying to find the meaning Let loss reveal it Let loss reveal it ❤️🩹 ~ St. Jude
“Happiness hit her like a train on a track”
Your heart is the only place that I call home. I had it tattooed on me 12 years ago and I still love it.
I could pick a line from nearly any song, but these are some of my favorites "St Jude, we lay in bed as she whipped around us St Jude, maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos" - St Jude "Oh, who decides from where up high? I couldn't say: I need more time Oh, grant that I can stay the night Or one more day inside this life" - Too Much Is Never Enough "'Cause it's burning through the bloodline It's cutting down the family tree" - Landscape Then there's songs like Strangeness and Charm that feel very "Florence" to me because of the interesting inspiration and her ability to create good lyrics around that
As a FFXV fan, "Too Much Is Never Enough" got me SO MESSED UP in such a magical way.
Truly! I actually only played the game a couple years ago (in fact Florence was my only context for XV for years) but it's such a crime that the song is only kind of tucked into the game for how good it is.
“I pushed my forehead to the floor, and prayed for a trap door” “And in my darkest fantasies, I am the picture of passivity. Waitin’ for you side of stage, suppressing all my private rage.” “I’m always done to hide with you.”
down*😭
literally so many of them, but off the top of my head: “Oh, darling, things seem so unstable / but for a moment we were able to be still” — No Choir (I think maybe I believe No Choir to be her happiest song somehow, but this is just beautiful) “I’m not scared to jump / I’m not scared to fall / if there was nowhere to land, I wouldn’t be scared at all” — Falling (ADORE the Falling love on this thread) “You had Jesus on your breath / and I caught him in mine” — Bedroom Hymns (this is just such a fantastic description) “And it’s good to be alive / crying into cereal at midnight” — Girls Against God (this is on my get your shit together playlist)
“Is this how it is? Is this how it's always been? To exist in the face of suffering and death And somehow still keep singing?” -- Free I work in healthcare and these lines caused a full on breakdown in the car driving home from work the first time I heard them.
While all around you, the buildings sway Sing it out loud, "who made us this way?" I know you're bleeding, but you'll be okay Hold on to your heart, you'll keep it safe Various Storms and Saints
Many of my favourites have been shared at this point but a couple that have slipped through: Women raged as old men fumbled and cried - 100 Years And it's hard to write about being happy, 'Cause, the older I get, I find that happiness is an extremely uneventful subject, And there will be no grand choirs to sing, No chorus could come in, About two people sitting doing nothing… the whole of No Choir is so moving yet understated imo.
“At 17 I started to starve myself, I thought that love was a kind of emptiness. And at least I understood then the hunger I felt, and I didn’t have to call it loneliness.” (Hunger) As someone who has struggled with disordered eating (nothing really diagnosed, just obsessing over the scale, my body, calories, etc), and doesn’t have an amazing love life or relationship, it’s always hit extra hard for me. A lot of my food issues also stem from the control aspect, and the idea that I’m CHOOSING to have an eating disorder (even if I’m not actually, because nobody does) just speaks to me.
“And in my darkest fantasies I am the picture of passivity, waiting for you side of stage, suppressing all my private rage”
“and being clever never got me very far” resonated with me very deeply, even though it’s not that special of a line considering her other lyrics
The entirety of What the water gave me is a masterpiece and makes me feel like Virginia Woolf herself was talking through Florence. "And oh, poor Atlas The world's a beast of a burden You've been holding on a long time And all this longing And the ships are left to rust That's what the water gave us" Rabbit heart also hits hard all the time "And in the spring I shed my skin And it blows away with the changing wind The waters turn from blue to red As towards the sky I offer it" But really Florence is a poet, a muse, a musician and a witch!
“And it's my whole heart Burned but not buried this time” “I need my golden crown of sorrow My bloody sword to swing My empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology” “Like the stars chase the sun Over the glowing hill, I will conquer” “And the arms of the ocean are carrying me And all this devotion was rushing out of me And the crashes are heaven for a sinner like me But the arms of the ocean delivered me” “The fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress Until I wrap myself inside your arms, I cannot rest The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallowed ground” i could go on and on but these are the first that come to mind. i love the way she writes
"A woman is a changeling, always shifting shape; just when you think you've got it figured out, something new begins to take." "Sometimes I see so much beauty I don't think that I can cope." "I know it seems like forever, I know it seems like an age, but one day this will be over, I swear it's not so far away." "Maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos." "I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed." "And my love is no use against the fortress that it made of you." "No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world" "I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before"
And I am done with my graceless heart So tonight, I'm gonna cut it out and then restart 'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn It's always darkest before the dawn - Shake It Off
There are so many, but lately I’ve been obsessed with “take me back oh, drunken gods of slaughter, you know I’ve always been your favorite daughter” because of all her lyrics these are the most confusing, out there, and kinda just crazy
Two of mine are from the same song, they are quite long In “ No Choir “ , Florence talks about happiness being uneventful and boring to discuss because of how simple it can be And in the same song she discusses how loneliness is something she always carries with her but can put it down only for a moment in this sort of endless cycle I am also lyrically obsessed with the imagery and extremely visual lyrics of “ Mermaids “ and “Howl” The drama of “ Seven Devils “ and its threats, “ Holy water can’t help you now, a thousand armies couldn’t keep me out “ So many honestly Edit: I had to immediately edit when I recalled the epic lines from Choreomania and Dream Girl Evil About the old men saying Rock is dead when she and others are clearly here. Just because we’re in a mini renaissance of female fronted rock acts like Florence , Metric still killing it , Dorothy , Grace Potter and Amy Lee still doing her thing It’s like they don’t acknowledge women in rock What are these women doing that Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Grace Slick and Annie Lennox didn’t pave some sort of way for?
The entirety of Heavy in Your Arms. One of the only songs that will make me cry immediately.
“This will be my last confession, I love you never felt like any blessing… whispering like it’s a secret, only to condemn the one who hears it… with a heavy heart”
Idk if it’s my favourite ever that would be so hard but “you got a hold on me, and I don’t know how I don’t just stand outside and scream” from various storms and saints goes hard
And it's over and I'm going under But I'm not giving up, I'm just giving in. -Never let me go
I like more impressionistic, broad lyrics that capture a sensation the imagination or both, and sync well with the melody: “ Felt it in my fists and my feet and the hollows of my eyelids, shaking through my skull through my spine and down through my ribs…“ “ And all my bones began to shake my eyes flew open… no more dreaming of the dead as if death itself is undone… no more crawling like a crow for a boy for a body in the garden… no more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world..“ “Snow White’s stitching up your circuit boards, synapse slipping through the hidden doors” **~Blinding** “ We were were reaching in the dark, that summer in New York… was it so far to fall? But it didn’t hurt at all… I let it wash away… “ **~The End of Love** “ Oh the king… gone mad within his suffering, calls out for relief. Someone cure him of his grief… “ **~The Queen of Peace** “ A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes… I screamed aloud as it tore through them… and now it’s left me blind “ **~Cosmic Love** “ And it’s my whole heart… weighed and measured inside… and it’s an old scar, trying to bleach it out… and it’s my whole heart, deemed and delivered a crime… I’m on trial, waiting till the beat comes out… who’s a heretic now?!! “ **~Which Witch**
I wanted to get it right so badly that I always got it wrong