They began experimenting with instrumentals for starters just to see where it would lead them.
A brief hiatus happened during the second year when they both decided to quit school for personal reasons, but after a year and a half, they were back at it.
out came the song only 6 hours after meeting each other again. Happy with the results, they decided to go for an EP titled after their first song, but up until this point they had worked under the names "Escape Artist & Martin Lundberg". it wasn't until the second song that they decided to go with , thanks to the initials of the second song, but instead of being short for "break the wall" they decided to use the initials as short for "By The Way" and it has stuck with them as an explanation for what they do.
"We Make BTW Music"
Losing My Mind
BTW Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
so I can watch my future self when im hardly alive
shit, with my lifestyle I'll be lucky to see 25
dont trust what they say it's not safer inside
heart palpitations my body's shaking me awake
and I grow weaker by the minute
isolation shows no forgiveness
who the fuck am I kidding I can't make it by myself
'cause I'm a man I'm supposed to endure the pain
crazy to the point I feel like I'm the only one who's sane
I wanna scream but my mouth is wired up like bane
call Ozzy on the phone I need a ticket for the crazy train
I used to have it all friends and a strong social life
"Unlimited" set aside and I lost most of my life
me leaving my apartment has the same odds as
snapping a selfie with bigfoot
same likelihood as kids leaving facebook
And I could tell you that I'm doing fine
I could tell you that is all alright
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
and I could tell you that It's all okay
I could tell you that I'm feeling great
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
I'm losing my mind sometimes it hides
and I've gotta pick it up and screw the bolts on tight
'cause I'm an average sized frankenstein
sometimes I die but I shock myself alive
jhonny cash told me focus on pain to see if you still feel
pain seems to be the only thing that's real
so if drugs doesn't kill me lonliness will
and to be truthful I'd rather choose a rope than a pill
it's like a mortal kombat
my heart reaches a subzero
I'm talking to myself like I'm robert de niro
sometimes I feel like norman bates like I'm a fucking psycho
but I'm used to it now it's like a never ending cycle.
And I could tell you that I'm doing fine
I could tell you that is all alright
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
and I could tell you that it's all okay
I could tell you that I'm feeling great
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
my mind
my mind
my mind
And I could tell you that I'm doing fine
I could tell you that is all alright
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
and I could tell you that it's all okay
I could tell you that I'm feeling great
lalalalala, slowly I am losing my mind
end
The lyrics to BTW's song Losing My Mind convey the struggles and inner turmoil of the artist as he battles mental health issues, expressing feelings of isolation, desperation, and fear. The opening lines reference Marty McFly, the time-traveling protagonist of Back to the Future, suggesting that the artist wishes to go back in time and observe his future self as a warning to change his ways. He acknowledges the danger of the lifestyle he's living, hinting that he may not live to see beyond his mid-twenties. The chorus of the song ironically masks his struggles, painting a picture of him pretending to be okay, while in reality, he feels like he's slowly losing his mind.
The lyrics touch on the theme of societal expectations, highlighting how men are expected to "endure the pain" instead of asking for help. He mentions feeling naked when he's asking for help, implying that he's held to a higher standard of strength and resiliency because of his gender. However, this need to conform to societal norms is unrealistic and only serves to intensify his sense of isolation and desperation.
The song's bridge references Johnny Cash's iconic song 'Hurt' from his American IV: The Man Comes Around album. The artist advises himself to focus on the pain to see if he still feels anything, implying that the pain is the only thing giving him some sense of connection to reality. The final lines mention the artist's struggles with suicidal ideation, and he implies that loneliness is a more significant threat to him than drugs.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's travel back in to the future like I'm Marty Mcfly
Let's go back to the future, like Marty McFly did, so I can observe myself in the future when I'm in bad shape.
shit, with my lifestyle I'll be lucky to see 25
Given how I live, I am unlikely to live past 25 years old.
dont trust what they say it's not safer inside
I cannot trust what anyone says, it's not necessarily safer indoors.
heart palpitations my body's shaking me awake
I experience heart palpitations and my body trembles and awakens me.
and I grow weaker by the minute
My strength decreases with every passing minute.
isolation shows no forgiveness
When I am alone, I find no relief or compassion there.
who the fuck am I kidding I can't make it by myself
No matter how much I lie to myself, I cannot do it on my own.
but I feel naked when I'm asking for help
It makes me uncomfortable and vulnerable to ask for assistance.
'cause I'm a man I'm supposed to endure the pain
Being a man, I am expected to tolerate the discomfort.
crazy to the point I feel like I'm the only one who's sane
I'm going insane to the extent that I believe that I'm the only one who is not crazy.
I wanna scream but my mouth is wired up like bane
I want to yell, but my mouth is wired and sealed like Bane, a fictional character from a movie.
call Ozzy on the phone I need a ticket for the crazy train
I need to experience the 'crazy train,' so I'm calling Ozzy Osbourne for tickets.
I used to have it all friends and a strong social life
I used to have everything: friends and a thriving social life.
"Unlimited" set aside and I lost most of my life
I set aside my limits and lost most of my life in the bargain.
me leaving my apartment has the same odds as snapping a selfie with bigfoot
Going out of my apartment is as unlikely to happen as taking a selfie with Bigfoot.
same likelihood as kids leaving facebook
The chances of me going out are the same as that of kids on Facebook quitting it.
And I could tell you that I'm doing fine
I could lie and say that everything is good.
I could tell you that is all alright
I could claim that everything is going well.
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
Despite my protests, I'm gradually losing my mind.
I'm losing my mind sometimes it hides
I feel like I'm losing my mind, even though it eludes me sometimes.
and I've gotta pick it up and screw the bolts on tight
I must grasp it and tighten its screws together.
'cause I'm an average sized frankenstein
I'm similar to the monster Frankenstein created by Mary Shelley, in terms of my size.
sometimes I die but I shock myself alive
Occasionally, I die, but then I bring myself back to life with a jolt.
jhonny cash told me focus on pain to see if you still feel
Johnny Cash advised me to concentrate on my pain to determine if I can still sense it.
pain seems to be the only thing that's real
Pain appears to be the only thing that is authentic and genuine.
so if drugs doesn't kill me lonliness will
If drugs don't kill me, despair and loneliness might.
and to be truthful I'd rather choose a rope than a pill
To be truthful, I'd choose a rope over a pill.
it's like a mortal kombat
It's like the video game Mortal Kombat.
my heart reaches a subzero
My heart reaches below zero degrees Celsius, a state of extreme coldness.
I'm talking to myself like I'm robert de niro
I'm speaking to myself as if I were Robert De Niro, an actor famous for playing unstable characters.
sometimes I feel like norman bates like I'm a fucking psycho
Occasionally, I feel like Norman Bates, a character from the movie Psycho, and like a crazy person.
but I'm used to it now it's like a never ending cycle
But now, I'm accustomed to it, and it seems to be a never-ending pattern.
my mind
My sanity.
And I could tell you that I'm doing fine
I could lie and say that everything is good.
I could tell you that is all alright
I could claim that everything is going well.
lalalalala, but slowly I am losing my mind
Despite my protests, I'm gradually losing my mind.
and I could tell you that it's all okay
I could say that everything is all right.
I could tell you that I'm feeling great
I could tell you that I'm feeling fantastic.
lalalalala, slowly I am losing my mind
Despite my assertions, I'm slowly going insane.
Writer(s): Michael Nordlund, Martin Lundberg
Contributed by Hannah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lance Anders
Man I wish I could get this song out there. I know if people just heard it, then it would top the charts. No doubt. Keep hustling.
btwofficial
+Lance Anders Thank you! we need more people like you!. thanks for the support :)
Alfred van Kuik
I love Spotify's "Discover Weekly" list for introducing me to little known gems like this. Absolutely beautiful. I'm shocked to see the low amount of views this has.
Jahin Akhyar
Alfred van Kuik that's the best playlist!
Nayan
1:42 this line hits me everytime I hear it
Brandon Walters
You deserve to be on the top of the charts man. I found you on Spotify and I've been showing you to everyone I know. This is how rap should sound, keep doing you man
btwofficial
A humble thank you! :) it's appreciated!.
Gyom
I heard this song about a week ago and I don't think I've ever related to a song more than I have to this I'm upset I found it 3 years later... I've put a few of my friends on this song
btwofficial
a lot of people do.. sadly enough.. a huge thank you for letting people know we exist! :) we appreciate that!!
Trevor Luevano
Man been listening to this song for years now and I still listen to it on repeat for hours sometimes. Love your work guys keep it up, I liked the new ep’s as well great job on those.