Adia Victoria (born July 22, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. Sh… Read Full Bio ↴Adia Victoria (born July 22, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her "gothic country music." In addition to playing and writing music, she also writes poetry. She is currently based in Nashville.

Victoria initially started a band backed by Ruby Rogers, Tiffany Minton, and Mason Hickman. She started working with a different group of people sometime later, and they debuted together in January 2016.

Victoria's first single release is "Stuck In the South" which was described on All Things Considered as a "very swampy mysterious kind of slow-burning song.” Rolling Stone describes her as "PJ Harvey covering Loretta Lynn at a haunted debutante ball." Her live performances are described by Wondering Sound as angry and "furious and feral." American Songwriter calls her stage presence "commanding."

Victoria's full-length debut was produced by Roger Moutenot, and is called Beyond the Bloodhounds. The name of the album references Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. The theme of her first album is about dealing with her life in her twenties. Moutenot has previously collaborated with Yo La Tengo and also produced her first single. The record label is her own and is named Canvasback.

Cry Wolf
Adia Victoria Lyrics

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Once is enough
Twice is a thrill
Three times will get you, that′s overkill

You'll know when to go
Say "fuck it" and leave it alone

Hole in my heel

Hole in my head
Where the thoughts leak out, they wet the bed
And spread, and spread, and spread

But all you do, is you cry wolf
Oh you cry wolf
All the time

Leave me, guide me, get me home
I promise all my oaths are sewn
I′ll be good, I'll be good, I'll be good (c′mere baby)

Off with her head, eve the ends
Polish my bones, and they shine when I grin
I′ll be good, I'll be good, I′ll be good, I'll be good

But all you do, is you cry wolf
Oh you cry wolf
All the time

But all you do, is you cry wolf
Oh you cry wolf
All the time

I′m a sensible girl
I'm a sensible girl
I′m a sensible girl
I swear I am

But all you do, is you cry wolf
Oh you cry wolf
All the time

All you do, is you cry wolf

You cry wolf
All the time

Overall Meaning

The song "Cry Wolf" by Adia Victoria speaks to the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of emotional manipulation and deceit. The lyrics use the metaphor of crying wolf to describe this experience, where the abuser or liar repeatedly causes alarm and panic, making it difficult for the victim to trust their own judgment.

The first few lines suggest that there is a certain point where enough is enough, and further attempts at manipulation are too much to bear. The repetition of "I'll be good" throughout the chorus, particularly following lines about wielding power and control, implies a sense of desperation to win back favor or to keep oneself safe. The line "polish my bones, and they shine when I grin" may suggest the idea of a forced smile or facade, where the victim feels pressure to maintain a certain image or mask their true emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

Once is enough
Doing something once is sufficient

Twice is a thrill
Doing something twice creates excitement

Three times will get you, that's overkill
Doing something three times becomes excessive

You'll know when to go
You'll recognize the appropriate time to leave

Say "fuck it" and leave it alone
Stop caring and abandon the situation

Hole in my heel
There is a hole in my shoe

Hole in my head
There is something wrong with my thinking

Where the thoughts leak out, they wet the bed
Unpleasant thoughts escape and cause distress

And spread, and spread, and spread
The unpleasant thoughts continue to multiply and propagate

But all you do, is you cry wolf
You constantly make false claims

Leave me, guide me, get me home
I need help returning home