When I was a kid I got messed up trying to be perfect so my parents would stay together. This may sound nuts, but many kids watching their parents' relationship disintegrate have the same idea: that it's their fault or that they can save everything somehow if they just do the right things.
Whenever I did anything 'wrong' I'd tell myself I was a bad person so I wouldn't do it again. Obviously I'd mess thing up pretty often, being human and all, so I spent a lot of time feeling bad about myself. Eventually I was ashamed to be me.
It's taken years but I now realise I was a brave, strong, kind kid then for trying to take on that responsibility. Also, I don't have to believe bad things about myself to feel virtuous, I'm good enough. Things didn't work out for my parents, but they can work out for me.
The 'you' in the song is the belief that you have to be perfect. A belief I fell in love with because it offered hope and safety but which was very harmful to me. The song for me expresses the joy of acknowledging your past and the part you played in it so that you can rise up again.
This song is definitely about me.
When I was a kid I got messed up trying to be perfect so my parents would stay together. This may sound nuts, but many kids watching their parents' relationship disintegrate have the same idea: that it's their fault or that they can save everything somehow if they just do the right things.
Whenever I did anything 'wrong' I'd tell myself I was a bad person so I wouldn't do it again. Obviously I'd mess thing up pretty often, being human and all, so I spent a lot of time feeling bad about myself. Eventually I was ashamed to be me.
It's taken years but I now realise I was a brave, strong, kind kid then for trying to take on that responsibility. Also, I don't have to believe bad things about myself to feel virtuous, I'm good enough. Things didn't work out for my parents, but they can work out for me.
The 'you' in the song is the belief that you have to be perfect. A belief I fell in love with because it offered hope and safety but which was very harmful to me. The song for me expresses the joy of acknowledging your past and the part you played in it so that you can rise up again.
On the other hand, the song could be about you...