Tune-yards – Powa

• 0
  General Comment:She almost definetely sings "VALIUM dances in my head" not "lightening dances in my head". Now Valium was a sleep pill. So it's not about sex only. "Mirror mirror on the wall (...) my man likes me from behind" these are references to how she looks or how she sees herself. It's a topic thats comes back regularly in her songs.
  Anyway I'm stunned by their work.

  Flag slatanekon August 10, 2012   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:Funny, I was hearing:
  
  "Rolling steady as a boulder
  Not a pebble, pebble"
  
  But does sound like she's saying "burning" not, so it's entirely possible that's not the actual line.
  
  But it should be...

  Flag threepepperon December 31, 2011   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:Sounds to me like the previous comments hear "'cuz you bomb me with life's humiliations every day" (and it is "life's humiliations", not "lies, humiliations," by the way--listen at 3:10 in the song) as being directed at the same person who is the object of the rest of the song--whoever the "honey, honey" is whose power "rocks [her] like a lullaby", etc.
  
  However I think that line's directed more at the "Mirror, mirror on the wall" that directly precedes that particular lyric. In that case, and given the "'cuz" at the beginning of that phrase, the song appears to be more about how she's admitting she "doesn't mind" that "[her] man likes her from behind" *literally because* "the mirror" bombards her with life's humiliations daily--which means, to me:
  
  "Life is messing with me right now, but fuck it, I'll make lemonade by refusing to restrain the sex drive that's keeping me from "get[ting] to sleep," that's "dancing in my head" like lightning, "burning steady as a motor," etc. I'll "rebel" by being sexual instead of ladylike, the way I'm 'supposed' to be."

  Flag ilovegaydicksinmyasson June 07, 2011   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• +2
  My Interpretation:I prefer a more hyperbolic reading of the song with Merrill presenting a really exaggerated, unrealistic example of female subordination, the kind that a lot of men expect from women after watching pornography: some slutty girl who will take any insult or humiliation with a smile. Especially considering the album's original title "Women Who Kill" (which shares its name with a classic book on Domestic Violence by Ann Jones), it's hard to believe the narrator truly craves abuse from her partner. I think it's more likely that she has been so brutalized by her lover's insults (which are smartly equated with bombs) that she discards her rebellious thoughts ("Rebel, rebel, no) and can no longer "find [her] way".

  Flag j0nnynonameon May 22, 2011   Link

  • 1 Reply Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    I like.

    Flag muckguppyon May 29, 2011  
• 0
  General Comment:It's about sex as a way to fight -- not in order to be a rebel like in many songs about sex -- but to fight loneliness and insecurity.
  ["I can never get to sleep
  I'm a rebel, rebel, no
  Hold me til I get to sleep"]
  
  It's about taking abusive relationships/flings for the attention, and more than that, it's about feeling like she NEEDS the abuse to feel whole.
  ["Cause you bomb me with lies, humiliations everyday
  You bomb me so many times I never find my way
  Come on and bomb me"]
  
  They have a violent relationship, but she feels empowered because of it because she's still a part of it, no matter the violence. It sounds like the result of stockholm syndrome. She identifies with his power over her.
  
  ["Your power
  In mine
  It gives me thrills I can't describe
  Your face in mine
  Oh baby, I just don't know why"]
  
  
  It's quite the twisted-relationship type of song. It feels very intimate, really risque, and so very beautifully real. PLUS the music is fantastic! Gotta love it.

  Flag cheerstrickenon May 17, 2011   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• +1
  General Comment:It's about sex, pure and simple.

  Flag zephryanon May 07, 2011   Link

  • 2 Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    +2

    It's about sex as a way to fight -- not in order to be a rebel like in many songs about sex -- but to fight loneliness and insecurity.
    ["I can never get to sleep
    I'm a rebel, rebel, no
    Hold me til I get to sleep"]
    
    It's about taking abusive relationships/flings for the attention, and more than that, it's about feeling like she NEEDS the abuse to feel whole.
    ["Cause you bomb me with lies, humiliations everyday
    You bomb me so many times I never find my way
    Come on and bomb me"]
    
    They have a violent relationship, but she feels empowered because of it because she's still a part of it, no matter the violence. It sounds like the result of stockholm syndrome. She identifies with his power over her.
    
    ["Your power
    In mine
    It gives me thrills I can't describe
    Your face in mine
    Oh baby, I just don't know why"]
    
    
    It's quite the twisted-relationship type of song. It feels very intimate, really risque, and so very beautifully real. PLUS the music is fantastic! Gotta love it.

    Flag cheerstrickenon May 17, 2011  

    +1

    oh well hello. I did not mean to reply there. I'm still getting the hang of this site and it looks like I can't delete it. sorry for any confusion!

    Flag cheerstrickenon May 17, 2011  

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!