Donkey
Bessie Turner Lyrics
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Grafitti for my walls
Puffy-eyed at ten AM
I messed up my best clothes
Don′t know what I'm diving into
I′m dying to find my peace dear
If nothing can learn to win
Hanging on the letterhead
I hate the path you chose
No missed calls at ten PM
You kept us on our toes
Don't know what I′m diving into
I′m dying to find my peace dear
If nothing can learn to win
I'm in
You played the first move
Then one piece was removed
We were so gone
Hang on for tattoos
Bruises and bullets
We were so wrong
But we were both so gone
Don′t know what I'm diving into
I′m dying to find my peace dear
If nothing can learn to win
I'm in
We were so gone away
We were so gone
We were so gone away
Bessie Turner's song "Donkey" is an introspective and poignant ballad about grief, loss, and the struggle to find inner peace. The opening lines of the song, "Backwards for my grieving friends, graffiti for my walls," suggests that the singer is dealing with some heavy emotions and seeking solace in creative expressions such as graffiti art. She goes on to describe her physical appearance, noting that she is puffy-eyed at 10 AM and has messed up her best clothes, which could be a reflection of her emotional state.
The recurring refrain, "I'm dying to find my peace dear, if nothing can learn to win, I'm in," points toward the singer's search for resolution and closure. The lines "hanging on the letterhead, I hate the path you chose, no missed calls at 10 PM, you kept us on our toes," could be interpreted as addressing a specific person or situation that caused the singer pain and confusion. The verses are threaded together with a sense of regret and longing, the feeling of wanting to go back in time and change things that cannot be undone.
The chorus echoes the singer's yearning for peace and acceptance, even in the midst of uncertainty and pain. The last lines, "We were so gone away, we were so gone," touch on the idea of being lost or disconnected from oneself, but also suggest the possibility of finding a way back. Ultimately, "Donkey" is a poignant and introspective song that speaks to the human experiences of love, loss, and the journey towards inner peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Backwards for my grieving friends
I am not making any progress in my own life, and I feel like I am regressing, which makes me feel like I am not setting a good example for my friends who are also struggling with their own issues.
Grafitti for my walls
My walls are covered in graffiti, and this is a metaphor for the way my mind feels right now - messy, disorganized, and difficult to decipher.
Puffy-eyed at ten AM
I am exhausted and my eyes are swollen from crying all night, and it is only 10 AM, which means I do not have the energy to face the day ahead.
I messed up my best clothes
I do not have the mental capacity to make even the smallest decisions, and so I ended up wearing my best clothes, but now they are ruined because I do not have the energy to take care of myself.
Don’t know what I’m diving into, I’m dying to find my peace dear
I am lost and do not know where I am headed, but all I want is to find some peace and make sense of the chaos that is happening in my life.
If nothing can learn to win, I'm in
Even if I do not know what the outcome of my journey will be, I am willing to keep pushing forward and take whatever comes my way.
Hanging on the letterhead
I am clinging to hope, even if it is just a single word on a piece of paper, because that is all I have to hold onto right now.
I hate the path you chose
I am feeling angry and resentful towards someone who made a different choice in their own journey, which I believe is not as difficult as mine.
No missed calls at ten PM, you kept us on our toes
I have not received any phone calls or messages from the person I am waiting for, but they are still at the forefront of my mind, keeping me anxious and worried.
You played the first move
This is a metaphor for a relationship where the other person took the initiative, and I followed their lead.
Then one piece was removed
Something happened to our relationship that caused it to fall apart, and this is symbolized by a piece of the puzzle being removed.
We were so gone, hang on for tattoos, bruises and bullets
Our relationship was passionate and intense, but it had its fair share of ups and downs, which included getting tattoos, experiencing physical injuries, and enduring emotional pain.
We were so wrong, but we were both so gone
Our relationship may have been flawed, but we were both deeply invested in it and unable to let go, even when it was clearly not working out.
We were so gone away, we were so gone
Our relationship was a journey that took us far away from where we started, and even though it ended in heartbreak, we do not regret the experience.
Writer(s): Bessie Turner, Josef Simon Sebastian Page
Contributed by Taylor Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.