What Kind Of Man
Florence The Machine Lyrics
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Try'na cross a canyon with a broken limb
You were on the other side, like always
Wondering what to do with life
I'd already had a sip
So I'd reasoned I was drunk enough to deal with it
You were on the other side, like always
And with one kiss
You inspired a fire of devotion that lasts for twenty years
What kind of man loves like this?
To let me dangle at a cruel angle
Oh, my feet don't touch the floor
Sometimes you're half in and then you're half out
But you never close the door
What kind of man loves like this?
What kind of man?
What kind of man loves like this?
What kind of man?
You're a holy fool, all colored blue
Red feet upon the floor
You do such damage, how do you manage?
Trying to crawl in back for more
And with one kiss
You inspired a fire of devotion that lasts for twenty years
What kind of man loves like this?
What kind of man loves like this?
What kind of man?
What kind of man loves like this?
What kind of man?
But I can't beat ya, 'cause I'm still with ya
"Oh mercy", I implore ("oh mercy", I implore)
How do you do it? I think I'm through it
Then I'm back against the wall
What kind of man loves like this? What kind of man?
The lyrics of "What Kind of Man" describe a tumultuous and complicated relationship between two people. The singer describes being in a difficult situation, "try'na cross a canyon with a broken limb," and feeling unsure of what to do with their life. Meanwhile, the person they are involved with is on the other side of the canyon, seemingly always present but never quite attainable. The singer describes feeling drunk and uncertain, but then being inspired by a single kiss to feel a deep and passionate devotion that lasts for years. Despite this intense feeling, the relationship is described as unstable, with the singer feeling like they are dangling at a cruel angle and their feet never touching the ground. The chorus asks, "What kind of man loves like this?" suggesting that the intensity and uncertainty of this relationship might be rare or unusual.
Throughout the lyrics, the singer also portrays the other person in the relationship as a mysterious and almost supernatural figure. They are described as a "holy fool, all colored blue" and as doing "such damage." Despite the difficulty of the relationship, the singer is unable to let go, asking "How do you do it?" and feeling like they are always "back against the wall." The intense emotions, the sense of being unable to control the outcome, and the poetic language used to describe the other person all contribute to a vivid and emotionally charged depiction of a complicated love affair.
Line by Line Meaning
I was on a heavy tip
I was on the verge of a breakdown
Try'na cross a canyon with a broken limb
Trying to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle while injured
You were on the other side, like always
The person she is singing about was always distant
Wondering what to do with life
This person was directionless and lost
I'd already had a sip
She was already slightly intoxicated
So I'd reasoned I was drunk enough to deal with it
She assumed she was drunk enough to handle the situation
You could never make you mine
The person she is singing about was never fully committed to her
And with one kiss
A single act of affection
You inspired a fire of devotion that lasts for twenty years
The kiss ignited a lifelong passion and love for this person
What kind of man loves like this?
Questioning the intensity of this person's love
To let me dangle at a cruel angle
She feels suspended and vulnerable in the relationship
Oh, my feet don't touch the floor
She feels as though she is floating and ungrounded
Sometimes you're half in and then you're half out
The person is emotionally inconsistent in the relationship
But you never close the door
They never completely end the relationship
You're a holy fool, all colored blue
The person is naive and innocent but has an underlying sadness
Red feet upon the floor
Symbolic of the intense passion and emotion in the relationship
You do such damage, how do you manage?
The person has a destructive impact on her life, yet she can't let go
Trying to crawl in back for more
She keeps coming back to this person despite their negative impact on her life
But I can't beat ya, 'cause I'm still with ya
She can't bring herself to leave the relationship, even though it's damaging
"Oh mercy", I implore ("oh mercy", I implore)
She's begging for mercy and help from this person
How do you do it? I think I'm through it
She doesn't understand how this person has such power over her
Then I'm back against the wall
She feels trapped and helpless in the situation
What kind of man loves like this?
Continuing to question the intensity and impact of this person's love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Hill, Thomas Hull, Florence Welch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carlosj4454
"i heard you talking in your sleep last night
-What where you doing?
i as just uh, i was just watching.
you seemed sad.
why didint you wake me up?
auuuuhhhh i didint wanna intervene
seemed like you were suffering somehwhere else
i didint think it was my place to drag you out of there.
i just let you be
-so you just let me suffer?
-so you think people who suffer together would be more connected than people who are content?
yeah.
i do
i suppose if you've been through something, something catastrophic if you've been through like a stOrm or an earthquake together or something horrendous, you'yes.
-it would bring you closer together ?
-what if they're creating the disaster within themselves ?
and theres this big storm all around us but its call because we're in the middle of it
@wtfarockfish
Ok, I've watched this video three times and read the lyric sheet over, I think I'm ready to offer my analysis:
The main theme this song deals with is being trapped in an abusive relationship with someone who constantly pulls you in and then pushes you away. They never cut the cord and set you free, but also are never truly there for you. You know something isn't right, but every time you try to escape, they seduce you anew.
Knowing this, the video slowly starts to make sense. It begins by introducing the idea of a partner that would prefer to let Florence suffer alone than wake her up and free her. The storm is a metaphor for their relationship. Trouble is lurking on the horizon, but when Florence is with her partner she is in the eye of the storm; she can't feel it, but she knows something is wrong.
The dance with the group of men represents the different states of her partner's personality and emotions. They repeatedly try to seduce her and then they push her away and ignore her. When she tries to break free and escape, the man she loves appears again and reels her back in. This pattern repeats itself several times.
The car crash is also a metaphor for their love. Everything appears to be fine, but she can sense something is wrong. Only when it finally crashes can she drag herself free of the wreck (her relationship).
As for the water scene, I'm not completely sure. Perhaps a rebirth?
@laneylynn88
She condemns her partner "what kind of man who loves like this" which caused her to lose her soul. His love was soul-crushing.
She felt calm knowing they were surrounded by the storms. Male dancers personify the many persons/dark sides of her lover she didn't fall for. Despite of the amount of pain he had caused her, his kiss, his true self kept drawing her back to the calm for years.
She constantly had to suffer trying to connect and get closer to her lover, to feel calm around the storm. She couldn't fathom why there was a need for both lovers to suffer in order to connect. That made her go "what kind of man" who loves like this?!!
This created disasters within the relationship, ergo the car crash, leaving her crawl out of the "death" of the relationship.
@leftcoaster5855
Such a powerful artist. Ughh, she gives me shivers!
The life-changing last catastrophic relationship. Addicted to the lust, uncertainty, abandonment and chaos of it all. Over and over again, repeating itself. Hidden beneath the illusion of physical pleasure is dependency. The sub-conscious creates and re-enacts old wounds in an attempt to resolve the original conflict. Sacrificing self to the alter of anger, pain, deceit and insanity, because its all she has ever known. Projecting the blame and cause for the destruction on to men to avoid the harsh reality that she is justifying using each of them to further destruct by pretending it is `love`.
Only way out of the storm and pain is through it...but she is nowhere near out, this is only the first realization of a problem and pattern. As her dreams begin surfacing, coming to terms with her broken self is a process of awakening. No man can save her or love her better, only she can. You can`t take a Tylenol or get another fix of pleasure to dull the pain when you`re bleeding to death. And you can`t get a man or `his love` to heal you if don`t even know you are wounded in the first place.
Unfortunately, this is only the calm before the real storm which will be the journey within. Through her painful bleeding wounds, screams and terror inside the mind, soul and flesh, she will come to real acceptance, healing and change...but not until she first completely breaks apart.
So she is outside in a moving car with one of her boyfriends which represents her current mind set, talking about the dream that is arising in her.
The rain, the lightening. The fingers to mouth. Lust is consuming her.
The fighting with the men in the living room is her raw and real emotional conflict inside and the bedroom scenes of the house is her way of coping and distracting herself.
Underground, in the basement of her sub-consciousness, on a dirty mattress of filth shame, represents her process and what she is avoiding. What she must do. She has to face each and every painful experience that contributed to wounding her. And deeper than that still, naked, alone and striped down, in her dungeon, she must embrace herself.
The older matriarchal women baptizing, washing her clean, represent that she will be born from the waters of this storm into the next level of womanhood. But this is only her dream...This has not even begun. It's only a glimpse.
Then, as if it could not get any more of a mind-melt, she represents two women in two different era`s of time meaning this is symbolic of not just her story, but it represents us. Women. Our odyssey.
@Hi3n0
I was on a heavy tip
Tryna cross a canyon with a broken limb
You were on the other side
Like always, wondering what to do with life
I already had a sip
So I'd reasoned I was drunk enough
To deal with it
You were on the other side
Like always, you could never make your mind
And with one kiss
You inspired a fire of devotion
That lasted 20 years
What kind of man loves like this
To let me dangle at a cruel angle
Oh my feet don't touch the floor
Sometimes you're half in and then you're half out
But you never close the door
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
You're a holy fool all coloured blue
Red feet upon the floor
You do such damage, how do you manage?
Tryna crawl in back for more
And with one kiss
You inspired a fire of devotion
That lasted 20 years
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
But I can't beat you
Cause I'm still with you
Oh mercy I implore ("Oh mercy, " I implore)
How do you do it
I think I'm through it
Then I'm back against the wall
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
What kind of man loves like this
What kind of man
@MustafaKulle
Florence needs to be in a movie of her own.
@catherina996
+Mustafa Kulle i agree with you!
@maymunhusnu6039
+Mustafa Kulle sen TÜRK MÜSÜN ?
@MustafaKulle
Burak güngör
Kibris'liyim (I'm a Cypriot)
@KBust
That would be so awesome!
@matthewwalker5243
+Thersa Rand what are you on about....
@nikolaika7777
This is her best album! Those 11 songs are truly a masterpiece.
@zerefkurogane
wait til u listen to deluxe and b sides an ureleased. she gave her whole heart on this one ngl
@newman2664
@@zerefkurogane can you tell me the names of the songs?
@zerefkurogane
@@newman2664 As Far as I Could Get, Hiding, Make Up Your Mind, Which Witch" (Demo), Third Eye" (Demo), How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (Demo), Pure Feeling and Conductor.
Those are the songs that are released on different versions of the album, but the same era.
My fav my far is As Far As I Could Get. :D