There's no way out of an angry crowd without steppin' on some toes
They'll scream your name 'til the lights go out then they'll feed you to the wolves
It's hard to say who you'll be when they let those big red curtains close
You know this 'cause you told me so
[Pre-Chorus]
I bet you forgot
Black heels in the summertime
Dad's bad, cookin' though, you'd be polite
Honey, now you got a look that I don't recognize
You pulled me aside and you said
[Chorus]
To know me is to hate me
Is to hate what I've become
It's to watch me as I'm fallin'
From that laddеr's last rung
It's to feel it like a secret
You can't keep in, I'm not thе way I was
I'm not the way I was
[Post-Chorus]
Mm, mm-mm-mm, hmm-mm, mm
[Verse 2]
Were you freed within, did you leave your skin?
Are you tethered in your doubt?
Have you breathed it in 'til it's medicine that you cannot live without?
'Cause you came back home a fuckin' alien and we're stuck here on the ground
Call your mom back, kid, before the high comes down
'Cause you forgot
Black heels in the summertime
Dirt road smoking on a Friday night
Honey, now you got a look that I don't recognize
You pulled me aside and you said
[Chorus]
To know me is to hate me
Is to hate what I've become
It's to watch me as I'm fallin'
From that ladder's last rung
It's to feel it like a secret
You can't keep in, I'm not the way I was
I'm not the way I was
But to feel it, to see it
The look in all their eyes
Is to breathe in, to be in
The good grace of that Godlight
It's to have it in your hands
The one thing you wanted all your life
"It's all mine"
[Bridge]
It's a hole I can't fill, it's a curse I can't break
And I gave my soul to it, and I cannot be reclaimed
I was younger then, I was younger then
I was young
To know me is to hate me
Is to hate what I've become
It's to watch me as I'm fallin'
From that ladder's last rung
It's to feel it like a secret
You can't keep in, I'm not the way I was
I'm not the way I was
But to feel it, to see it
The look in all their eyes
Is to breathe in, to be in
The good grace of that Godlight
It's to have it in your hands
The one thing you wanted all your life
"It's all mine"
[Outro]
And to feel it, to see it
The look in all your eyes
Is to breathe in, to be in
The good grace of this Godlight
It's to have it in your hands
The one thing I wanted all my life
It's all mine
About
Noah started performing and writing music when he was 8 years old and struggled for years to find any kind of success. “I did it because I loved it, and because it made me feel heard. I didn’t care if it was one person listening or many.” When Noah started to gain attention and rose to popularity, he struggled with finding the drive and motivation to continue, worrying about keeping the attention he was gaining, becoming depressed, and losing sight of the original reason he began creating music. “I thought a lot about what the younger version of me would think about me. I wrote this song trying to make him proud.”
- Paraphrased from Noah’s Instagram Story (6/30/21)
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning