Want me to love you in moderation
Do I look moderate to you?
Sip it slowly and pay attention
I just have to see it through
You got me looking for validation
Pastures new
Want me to love you in moderation
Well, who do you think you're talking to?
[Chorus]
Then bow your head in the house of God
And little girl, who do you think you are?
You think you need it, you think you want love
You wouldn't want it if you knew what it was
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation (Ooh)
[Verse 2]
I never made it with moderation
No, I never understood
All the feeling was all or nothing
And I took everything I could
Can't hold it back, I can't take the tension
Oh, I'm trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don't you know, I wish I could
Then bow your head in the house of God
And little girl, who do you think you are?
You think you need it, you think you want love
You wouldn't want it if you knew what it was
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation
[Bridge]
Girl, you better learn (I just can't win)
How to hold it in (Can't hold it in)
And girl, you better learn (I just can't win)
I just can't win (Can't hold it in)
'Cause I don't see the worth (I just can't win)
I don't see the worth
And I'm still tryna figure out if it
Always, always, always has to hurt
[Outro]
(Ah, ah, ah)
[Outro]
You want love
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation
Moderation
About
“Moderation” is Florence + The Machine’s first release after the band’s fourth studio album High as Hope. The song was premiered live on 12 January, 2019 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. It appeared on the setlist as “MD?”, and was featured in later setlists as “Meditation”, “Train Station”, “Jubilation”, “Mashed Potation” and “Commiseration”.
Florence states that the track is “a song that demands to be played live”. It came about as a childhood memory of her being told off in church; one that has stuck with her for many years.
The track was officially premiered on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show on 24 January, 2019, and released on the same day along with the B-side “Haunted House”.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
“Moderation” was recorded during the sessions for the band’s fourth studio album High as Hope, but, according to Florence Welch, was never included in the final cut because it didn’t fit the context of the album, which is not mainly about her relationships.
Florence also stated that “It’s a song that demands to be played live. The chorus itself came from a childhood memory that I’ve had for years about being told off in church.
She followed: "But live and with songwriting I really like to embody the things I was afraid of as a child. I like to kind of embody that voice”.
