Standing now, in the mirror that I built myself
And I can't remember why the decision wasn't mine
But it seems I'm only clingin' to an idea now
Took my heart and sold it out to a vision that I wrote myself
And I don't wanna be somebody in America just fighting the hysteria
I only wanna die some days
[Chorus: Halsey]
Someday, someday, when I burst into flames
I'll leave you the dust, my love
Hope a bit of it'll be enough to help remember the
Days when we came to this place
I told you I'd spill my guts, I left you to clean it up
I'm bursting out of the
[Verse 2: Halsey]
Seems like now it's impossible to work this out
I'm so committed to an old ghost town
Is it really that strange if I always wanna change?
And if only the time and space between us wasn't lonely
I'd disintegrate into a thousand pieces
Think I'm makin' a mistake, but if I decide to break
Who will fill the empty space? So...
[Chorus: Halsey]
Now, if I figure this out
Apart from my beating heart
It's a muscle, but it's still not strong enough to carry the
Weight of the choices I've made
I told you I'd ride this out
It's gettin' harder every day
Somehow, I'm burstin' out of myself
(Ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, ooh)
Too many guys think I'm a concept, or
I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive
I'm just a fucked up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind
Don't assign me yours
About
Halsey opens her third album, Manic with “Ashley” – a title taken from her own name, Ashley Nicolette Frangipane. Fittingly, the song introduces Halsey fans to a new era, an album coming from not only a self-created character of sorts, Halsey, but her real identity, Ashley.
Whilst she reflects on her past as Halsey, she gently reminds fans that when Halsey is no longer around, a legacy will be left behind through her music.
She discussed the sonics behind “Ashley” with Zane Lowe for Apple Music:
It’s arguably the most Halsey sounding song on the album […] A reminition of Badlands at little bit. [It was like] a comfortable entry point for people.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
This is an introduction but it’s also a cautious goodbye. It explores themes about how my music would affect my fans should I ever “disappear”. The chorus of this song was inspired by a lot of the emo music that massively shaped my identity as I was coming of age.
– Halsey, via Spotify’s storyline feature
Starting the album with my real name is a comfortable entry point for people, like saying, ‘Hey, I’m still here, but I’m going to take you down on a different journey right now.’ A lot of this album was written as I became more aware of my mortality. Sometimes I’m on top of the world and I’ve never felt better in my life. Other days I’m like, ‘If I keep doing this, I’m going to die.’ This song is an introduction and a warning: It’s saying, ‘Here’s this album that I had to cut myself open to make, and will continue to cut myself open to tour, promote, and explain, but I don’t know how many more of these you’re going to get.’
– Halsey, via Apple Music
- 1.Ashley
- 2.clementine
- 3.Graveyard
- 8.3am
- 9.Without Me
- 12.killing boys
- 13.SUGA’s Interlude
- 14.More
- 15.Still Learning
- 16.929
- 17.wipe your tears
- 18.I’m Not Mad
- 19.Be Kind
- 27.3am (Stripped)
