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I watched you change
Into a fly
I looked away
You were on fire
I watched a change in you
It's like you never had wings
And you feel so alive
I've watched you change
I took you home
Set you on the glass
I pulled off your wings
Then I laughed
I watched a change in you
It's like you never had wings
Now you feel so alive
I watched you change
It's like you never had . . .
Ah, ah, ah, ah [6x]
I look at the cross
And I look away
Give you the gun
Blow me away
I watched a change in you
It's like you never had wings
Now you feel so alive
I've watched you change
And you feel alive
You feel alive [2x]
I've watched you change
It's like you never had . . .
Ah, ah, ah, ah [6x]
You change [3x]
Into a fly
I looked away
You were on fire
I watched a change in you
It's like you never had wings
And you feel so alive
I've watched you change
I took you home
Set you on the glass
I pulled off your wings
Then I laughed
I watched a change in you
It's like you never had wings
Now you feel so alive
I watched you change
It's like you never had . . .
Ah, ah, ah, ah [6x]
I look at the cross
And I look away
Give you the gun
Blow me away
I watched a change in you
It's like you never had wings
Now you feel so alive
I've watched you change
And you feel alive
You feel alive [2x]
I've watched you change
It's like you never had . . .
Ah, ah, ah, ah [6x]
You change [3x]
Lyrics submitted by sawg, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Track duration: 05:00
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But in the light of recent events in my life, I feel that this is about the narrator fighting with himself.
It's about metamorphosis, from the larvae to the winged stage, from crawling on the ground to flying in the sky. Or moving forward in life, becoming a better person.
But there's this part of you, the self-destructive one (the narrator) -afraid of what might be- that mocks the change and tries to bring you back to your old habits, to the ground.
In the end, you accept the transformation and blow the old you away.
1st & 2nd stanza: She was there, but like a fly she buzzed away. On fire would mean she was ALIVE. She was hot like fire and taken to the sky! Flies are fast.
3rd stanza: He clipped her wings, so to speak (and so he thought). He admired her and studied her while she was his. Without wings, she could belong to him and him only.
4th & 5th stanza: Similar to the first two
Remaining stanzas: He sounds surprised that she flew away after he felt he had disabled her emotionally, or physically, or spiritually, whatever.
Rather simple song, but then again many of Rihanna's don't require brain surgery. She's the princess of pop. I just wish I didn't like her voice as much as I do.
I look at the cross
And I look away
Give you the gun
Blow me away
What do you get from that?
In my opinion, I think this song is more about the narrator than a victim of the narrator (whether it be a virgin girl or friend-turned-junky or whatever.) I think the narrator is suggesting he is changing into something less than human (a fly, something everyone despises, swats at and kills without remorse.) I think the narrator feels he is somewhat messed up in the head, twisted and sinister: in the verse that starts with "I took you home..." I imagine the narrator capturing a bug outside (like a fly or a beetle) taking it home, placing it on a petri dish ("set you on the glass") and using tweezers to pull its wings apart underneath a microscope. Which he finds humorous.
It's kind of a sickening image but it fits perfectly with the tone of the song. I love the eerie instrumental that plays after the verses "you were on fire" and "then I laughed".) Unlike a lot of other interpretations, I don't necessarily agree that the narrator feels guilty about what's happening. I think he's accepting it; it's thrilling, it makes him "feel so alive". Which is the scary part. He's messed up, and not only does he know it, but he's okay with it (maybe even likes it)... "so, hell, blow me away."
At first I wondered, why the display of guilt in the line "give you the gun/blow me away" but then I realized its probably referencing fellacio. As a matter of fact the original lyrics were "give you the lungs" (Deftonesworld.com) ..so yeah. There was no guilt.
The line "now you feel so alive" kinda makes me think of, again, the pedestal, this girl having had almost mythic proportions in this guys mind or just in her general reputation. She wasn't seen as human before, she was superhuman "perfect" like things that aren't real, staues,dolls.Now she has been reduced to "alive"-ness. Thats what sex does and that should be a good thing but in this particular case its kinda not. Not for the girl.
--Oh another thing this reminded me of was how this could be referencing not just a particular girl or type of girl but just conquering women in general by getting them into bed especially if theyre hard-to-get or whatever. Theres the thrill of the chase and then theres the taking of this creature home and the setting of them "on the glass" the pulling off of the wings, etcetera. The reality. The "I looked away/ you were on fire" line makes me think of the whole phenomena of people wanting what they can't have... its like, maybe it wasn't about this dude being in a band, maybe all he had to do was pull the old "act like you don't want her" deal to get her "on fire".
Whoever or whatever is tempting you these days, do not worry or enjoy reponsibly :) Song is about the truth always winning in the end.
Its about a guy who isn't innocent and meets this girl. She's young and happy and he takes her home. He gets this girl to sleep with him and strips her of her innocence (wings). The girl also finds herself hard to get away from him (its like you never had wings) because she's attached. He's an asshole to her and it damages her, after he realizes what he's done (i look at the cross then i look away) he literally wants to give her the gun so that she can blow him away.
For example, let say you had a drug habit, but never got yourself into a bad situation, just recreation and that it. But you turned someone onto this drug, and they turned into a major junky. "I watched you change into a fly" To me is like "I watched you become this filthy creature", and "it's like you never had wings", Maybe it's like "i used to see you as an angle, now I see you as a fly". Tearing off the wings, making this person this broken, damaged creature. And all you have left if your guilt for letting this happen to someone.
That's what I took from this.
I watched you change into a fly
The girl he once knew has matured into someone unrecognizable to him; he doesn't like it
I looked away, you were on fire
She is proud and assertive of the new her, and feels on top of the world
I watched a change in you, it's like you never had wings
He will not accept nor allow the change in her, and wants her as she was
And you feel so alive, I've watched you change
He scorns the new her and her attitude
I took you home, set you on the glass
He tells her he can see through her, and that she is still just a maggot
I pulled off your wings, then I laughed
He physically and emotionally reduces her to nothing by mocking her of her delusional beliefs
I watched a change in you, it's like you never had words
She is too wounded to speak and has nothing to say; he's now happy believing she is as she was
Now you feel so alive, I watched you change; It's like you never had...
He puts her fire out, and watches her change back to before she had wings, lying to himself that she is happier now when she is crushed
I look at the cross, and I look away
His conscience makes him realize too late he was wrong in what he did
Give you the gun, blow me away
He tries to show penitence by surrendering to her and not fighting any retribution
I watched a change in you, it's like you never had words
Now recovered by her ordeal, she chooses not to say a thing
Now you feel so alive, I've watched you change; It's like you never had...
She feels alive now because she confidently moves on with her life, "like you never had... me"