Slow Life Lyrics
On the weak end
Lost in the forest of this heart
There's a forest in
Why are they shaking their heads?
We're stuck in slow life
Is it the beating of the chest
That makes us feel the rest?
Behind closed eyes
Where not a single ray of light
Can puncture through the night
And I called you
Sheltered by the night
?
You saw me in your light
And I saw you
Sheltered by the night
?
And the deep sea
Lies a swarm of silhouettes
Floating aimlessly
But I'm a mountain
I am a killer
You'll get lost and buried deep
If you swim with me
And I called you
Sheltered by the night
?
You saw me in your light
And I saw you
Sheltered by the night
?
All because we need to know
So look at me, look at you
All because we'll never know
All because we need to know
So look at me, look at you
All because we'll never know

i believe this song to be about being in a state of depression/mental illness. there's a sort of lostness to the way this song sounds, and i think it goes along well with the lyrics. (this is just my interpretation.)
"what are they talking about on the weekends? lost in the forest of this heart is a foreign still"
nanna wants to know what normal people do and talk about on their free time. she only finds herself lost in depressing, empty thoughts and moping around.
"why are they shaking their heads? we’re stuck in slow life"
she wants to know why people don't condone her way of living. it's not like she can control the speed of her life.
"is it the beating of the chest that makes us fear the rest?"
she wonders if the consciousness of being alive and having one life to live out whatever you want to is what keeps her away from mentally healthy people, as they don't think about this stuff.
"we’re slowly sailing away behind closed eyes"
sleeping is the only escape she can manage. the "we" refers to the community of mentally ill people.
"where not a single ray of light can puncture through the night"
she doesn't dream. not anymore. no light getting in may sound miserable, but light is life and life is what she doesn't want to think about.
"you caught me in the tide and i caught you"
the mentally ill community is what helps her go by. knowing she's not alone saves her, and that does the same for other people.
"sheltered by the night red in tooth and red in claw"
the night keeps nanna sane, because it's some time to be left alone, maybe in sleep or maybe in search of answers. restless nights can leave her "red in tooth and red in claw."
"you saw me in new light and i saw you sheltered by the night red in tooth and red in claw"
the mentally ill community recognizes that she's not okay. she's not "just tired." she does the same for others.
"between the daylight and the deep sea lies a swarm of silhouettes floating aimlessly"
between too much life and none at all, is where nanna's mind lies. her brain feels clogged with abstract thoughts and wishes for deaths. she may even feel like there are different personas telling her things in her mind, but she can never put a name or a face to the voices.
"but i’m a mountain i am a killer"
though she appreciates the support, she tells others to back off. she has to fight this fight alone, and she feels like she'll end up losing. her mental state is impossible to get through (mountain), even though she realizes she's only doing this to herself (killer).
"you’ll get lost and buried deep if you swim with me"
she doesn't want anyone else to fall in the same state of mind she's in.
"so look at you look at me all because we need to know so look at me look at you all because we’ll never know"
but she still wants to be there for her mentally ill friends. she realizes the only reason they've built a friendship is because of their quest for joy. they don't only want happiness, they need it. yet she knows she'll never truly get it.
@cryingtimes Cool, never thought of it exactly that way. I was coming at it from a slightly different angle. I think the band is talking directly to their fans, as "you" can also be a plural. The song seems to be about the success that swept up the band and its audience and how that relationship is so hard to resist when it carries you forward..
@cryingtimes Cool, never thought of it exactly that way. I was coming at it from a slightly different angle. I think the band is talking directly to their fans, as "you" can also be a plural. The song seems to be about the success that swept up the band and its audience and how that relationship is so hard to resist when it carries you forward..
The song begins with some mild allusions to anxiety, and caring about what people think of you.
The song begins with some mild allusions to anxiety, and caring about what people think of you.
"What are they talking about?" "Why are they shaking their heads?" "Is it the beating of the...
"What are they talking about?" "Why are they shaking their heads?" "Is it the beating of the chest that makes us fear the rest?"
They go on to talk about their relationship with some other person or persons but framed in imagery of captivity.
"You caught me in a tide and I caught you."
I believe this to be talking about the singer and their audience. In a way they were both caught up in this "tide" of success and fame. Then the song takes a very weird turn. They start describing some kind of beast.
"Sheltered by the night Red in tooth and red in claw" "But I'm a mountain I'm a killer You'll get lost and buried deep if you swim with me"
These verses are key to understanding the song meaning, especially since they are repeated in the chorus. And it is very odd to describe yourself as some kind of monster. The singer sees themselves as something ugly and unlikeable and for that reason they don't want the audience to see that side of them. Instead they hide that part of themself in the dark, afraid of someone getting close enough to see it. Yet at the same time, they really want someone to see their whole personality and accept them.
""You saw me in new light and I saw you. "so look at you look at me all because we need to know so look at me look at you all because we’ll never know"
Tldr: this song is about a fear of not being rejected and low self esteem. Anxiety sucks.