I Can't Stand It
Alex.M Lyrics

I just found out that flowers have an odour
I recently learned that flowers actually have a smell

And I can't smell them because of a disorder
Unfortunately, I personally cannot smell flowers due to a medical condition

The only fragrance that they have for me
The only sensation I can perceive from flowers is a slight aroma resembling wet grass

Is a faint tinge of wet grass
The aroma I detect from flowers smells roughly like damp grass

For years I thought you were all lying
I used to believe that everyone who claimed flowers had a fragrance was simply being untruthful

Roses are red
The traditional beginning of a familiar poem

Violets are blue
The next line of that same poem

Flowers don't smell
I used to think flowers were odorless

That's untrue
But I now recognize that this is not the case

And that's the difference between me and you
This discrepancy between our perceptions is what separates us

I thought you were so overwhelmed by their beauty
I assumed you were exaggerating the fragrance aspect of flowers because you were so taken with their beauty

That you'd invented an aroma to match how they looked
In my mind, I created a narrative where you had conjured up a non-existent odor to match your admiration for flowers' appearance

And it was
I believed this was true

And it was
Reiterating my previous statement

An agreed deceit
I believed this was a collective falsehood we all (except me) had agreed to perpetuate

But now I realise
However, I now understand

That's the arrogance of ego
My former belief was the result of my own egotism

You're lying about the smell
In my mind, I believed everyone who claimed flowers had a fragrance was lying

As far as I can tell
From my perspective

And that's the problem here
This is the source of the issue

So insincere
I perceived their claims about flowers' odor as disingenuous

But why oh why would you invent a scent
I puzzled over why anyone would make up an aroma that didn't exist, as I believed was happening with flowers

Your experience is never universal
I learned that everyone's experiences are unique and different

Other people's reality is not bound to how you perceive it
I realized that I cannot assume everyone is having the same experience as me

The parameters of existence don't start and stop with you oh oh
The things that exist in the world do not revolve solely around my perception of them

Your nuances are not factual
The subtle differences in our individual experiences are not necessarily objective truths

And culture is not inherent
The way we perceive things can be influenced by our cultural upbringing and is not inherent to the thing itself

And the value of nostalgia is a personal ransom
The benefits of nostalgic feelings are confined to the individual experiencing them

The flower on the tenement roof feels rain before the others
The environment can affect different flowers in different ways

And the flower on the pavement feels rain rise from the gutters
Location can also have an impact on a flower's response to its surroundings

Flowers have an odour
I now understand that flowers actually do have a fragrance

Yeah flowers have an odour
Reiterating my previous statement

When you bloom
This line seems to be suggesting that flowers have a strong aroma when blooming

Others will bloom with you
This final line might imply that one individual's experiences can influence those around them