Not What I Meant Lyrics
Let's find out just how far I’ll go
To look like someone you should know
Maybe I'd sound a little better
If my features were more sweet
Your mind's already been made up
You saw my number and my number wasn’t good enough
I'll write a little better
If I'm willing to compete
[Chorus: dodie & lewis watson]
I'll do it if I have to
Hoping for an in-between
Not what I meant when I said that I...
I wanted to be seen
[Verse 2: dodie & lewis watson]
How am I meant to stay on track
When each hand I shake will pull me back?
Oh, I'll work a little harder
But walk a little less
And in the end will I feel proud
That I grit my teeth, and followed the damn crowd?
Will I have grown a little empire
Or made a fucking mess?
I'll do it if I have to
Hoping for an in-between
Not what I meant when I said that I...
I wanted to be seen
I'll do it if I have to
(I'll keep it to myself)
Hoping for an in-between
(Oh, I must have seen that somewhere)
Not what I meant when I said that
I wanted to be seen
About
Originally performed by Dodie and Dom Fera and shared on YouTube under the title ‘Bitter Content’, ‘Not What I Meant’ is a song inspired by Fera’s short film ‘Content’.
The song addresses the need for validation in the digital world, especially the YouTube community. It discusses the competitive nature of the site and its creators, contesting over who gets the most views and subscribers, and the emotional toll that can take on people and relationships.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
When this song was first published to YouTube as “bitter content” in early 2018, Dodie explained that the song was inspired by Dom Fera’s short film Content, which she described as “too good for YouTube”.
She later went on to explain upon the EP’s release :
this was originally called “Bitter Content” but was always a placeholder name because it explored a weird feeling I couldn’t quite pinpoint
There’s definitely bitterness in there about social media and its relationship with art and success and validation.
- 2.Monster
- 3.Not What I Meant
- 4.Human
- 5.She
- 7.Burned Out
