Gold
Andra Day Lyrics

He don't know I call him the teacher
The person being referred to in the song is unaware of being called “the teacher” by the singer

He had hard lessons for the kid
The teacher was harsh to the kid and taught them tough lessons

I could offer you true hell he put me under the same spell
The singer was put under a spell by the teacher and she is willing to tell the listener about all the pain he caused her

He lied and he stressed me out
The teacher was a liar and caused the singer a lot of stress

You love me like a precious gift
The person the singer is addressing loves her genuinely and considers her a precious gift

And he loved me like a sloppy kiss
The teacher's love was careless and lacking affection compared to the person the singer is addressing now

You would tell me your heart aches
The person the singer is addressing now is open about their emotions and shares their heartaches with her

now I understand the pain
The singer now has a better understanding of the pain she went through in her past relationships

Oh why did I let you drown
The singer regrets letting herself drown in the toxic and unhealthy relationship with the teacher

Baby, would you believe that I been broken
The singer is confessing to the person she is addressing now that she has been broken and hurt in the past

You say memories again and again
The person the singer is addressing now keeps bringing up memories of their past together

I see the reel now it's real to me
The singer now has a clearer picture of her past, and it feels more real to her now

I gave up gold for grains of sand
The singer sacrificed something valuable (gold) for something less valuable (grains of sand) in her past relationship with the teacher

Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
The grains of sand (less valuable things) slip through the singer's hand and are easily lost

You had no problems with commitment
The person the singer is addressing now is loyal and committed to their relationship

Like a king is loyal to what's his
The person the singer is addressing now is fiercely loyal and committed to their significant other, just like a king is devoted to his kingdom

You look for a ring to fit
The person the singer is addressing now is committed to the relationship and is looking for the perfect ring to signify their love

while I played wifey with the kids
The singer was playing the role of a motherly figure (referring to the kids) in her past relationship with the teacher

Oh the irony makes me sick
The singer realizes the irony of her past actions and feels sick about it

He tried to make me look crazy
The teacher attempted to manipulate and gaslight the singer by making her seem crazy

Nothing new about his kind of scheme
The teacher's manipulative tactics were not new and were commonly used by people like him

I laugh when I think about his face
The singer laughs when she thinks about the teacher's face when he almost revealed the truth

when truth nearly spilled out
The truth about the teacher almost came out, but it didn't

He looked like me I get that now
The singer realizes that the teacher and she look alike

Slippin' through my hand, ooh
The grains of sand (less valuable things) continue to slip through the singer's hand in the present too, emphasizing the importance of valuing what you have right now