Big Thief's music, rooted in the songs of Adrianne Lenker, paints in vivid tones "the process of harnessing pain, loss, and love, while simultaneously letting go, looking into your own eyes through someone else's, and being okay with the inevitability of death," says Adrianne.
Masterpiece, Big Thief's debut album, is filled with characters and visceral narratives, songs that pivot in the space of a few words. Adrianne's voice and guitar playing speak of rich emotional territory with grace and insight. In her words, the record tracks "the masterpiece of existence, which is always folding into itself, people attempting to connect, to both shake themselves awake and to shake off the numbness of certain points in their life. The interpretations might be impressionistic or surrealistic, but they're grounded in simple things."
Not
Big Thief Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nor the lines in your face
Nor the clouds on the ceiling
Nor the clouds in space
It's not the phone on the table
Nor the bed in the earth
Nor the bed in the stable
Nor your stable words
Nor the cry in the air
Nor the boy I'm seeing
With her long black hair
It's not the open weaving
Nor the furnace glow
Nor the blood of you bleeding
As you try to let go
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
That's spinning
Not a ruse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek
Not food
That you eat
Not the meat of your thigh
Nor your spine tattoo
Nor your shimmery eye
Nor the wet of the dew
It's not the warm illusion
Nor the crack in the plate
Nor the breath of confusion
Nor the starkness of slate
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
That's spinning
Not a ruse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek
Not food
That you eat
Not what you really wanted
Nor the mess in your purse
Nor the bed that is haunted
With the blanket of thirst
It's not the hunger revealing
Nor the ricochet in the cave
Nor the hand that is healing
Nor the nameless grave
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
That's spinning
Not a ruse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek
Not food
That you eat
Not to die
Not dying
Not to laugh
Not lying
Not the vacant wilderness vying
Not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
That's spinning
The song "Not" by Big Thief features lyrics that focus on the various things in life that aren't important when compared to the bigger picture. The repetition of "It's not" throughout the song emphasizes this theme. The verses list various physical things - energy, lines on the face, clouds, a phone, a bed, a stable, formless beings, weaves, a furnace, blood, and food - and intangible things - cries in the air, people, illusions, confusion, hunger, thirst, healing, and laughter - and declares that none of these things are truly significant. The chorus repeats this sentiment, stating that it's not the room, beginning, crowd, winning, planet, ruse, heat, fire, or food that matter. Rather, the song seems to be suggesting that what's truly important is experiencing life to its fullest, whatever that may mean.
Overall, "Not" is a song that encourages listeners to let go of the things that don't matter and focus on what's truly meaningful in life. Its unique and striking lyrical style emphasizes this message and makes for a powerful listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not the energy reeling
It's not about the intense motion of people or things
Nor the lines in your face
It's not about the wrinkles on your face
Nor the clouds on the ceiling
It's not about the clouds that can be seen on a ceiling
Nor the clouds in space
It's not about the clouds in the vast expanse of the universe
It's not the phone on the table
It's not about the telephone device sitting on a piece of furniture
Nor the bed in the earth
It's not about the bed that's buried beneath the soil
Nor the bed in the stable
It's not about the bed that's located in the stable
Nor your stable words
It's not about the words you constantly use
It's not the formless being
It's not about the shapeless and undefined existence
Nor the cry in the air
It's not about the sound that's emanating in the atmosphere
Nor the boy I'm seeing
It's not about the guy I'm currently seeing
With her long black hair
It's not about the girl with long black hair
It's not the open weaving
It's not about the interconnected pattern of something
Nor the furnace glow
It's not about the shining light coming from a furnace
Nor the blood of you bleeding
It's not about the blood that's flowing out of you when you bleed
As you try to let go
It's not about trying to release something you are holding on to
It's not the room
It's not about the enclosed space where you are in
Not beginning
It's not about the start of something
Not the crowd
It's not about the gathering of people in a particular place
Not winning
It's not about triumphing over an opponent or situation
Not the planet
It's not about the celestial body we inhabit
That's spinning
It's not about the Earth's rotational movement
Not a ruse
It's not about a deceptive action intended to deceive someone
Not heat
It's not about high temperatures
Not the fire lapping up the creek
It's not about a fire that's burning and spreading through the creek
Not food
It's not about the meals you consume
Not the meat of your thigh
It's not about the flesh and muscle on your leg
Nor your spine tattoo
It's not about the tattoo design located on your spine
Nor your shimmery eye
It's not about the glimmering or sparkling look in your eyes
Nor the wet of the dew
It's not about the moisture collected on the surface of things during the early morning
It's not the warm illusion
It's not about the comforting deception
Nor the crack in the plate
It's not about the split or break on the plate
Nor the breath of confusion
It's not about the perplexing inhalation and exhalation
Nor the starkness of slate
It's not about the striking contrast of the flat gray rock
Not to die
It's not about the act of death
Not dying
It's not about the continuous experience of death
Not to laugh
It's not about the act of laughing
Not lying
It's not about the act of telling a falsehood
Not the vacant wilderness vying
It's not about the unoccupied and desolate wilderness competing for something
Lyrics Β© DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Adrianne Lenker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@elirose2897
!
Itβs not the energy reeling
Nor the lines in your face
Nor the clouds on the ceiling
Nor the clouds in space
Itβs not the phone on the table
Nor the bed in the earth
Nor the bed in the stable
Nor your stable words
It's not the formless being
Nor the cry in the air
Nor the boy Iβm seeing
With her long black hair
Itβs not the open weaving
Nor the furnace glow
Nor the blood of you bleeding
As you try to let go
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
Not spinning
Not a ruse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek
Not food
Not to eat
Not the meat of your thigh
Nor your spine tattoo
Nor your shimmery eye
Nor the wet of the dew
It's not the warm illusion
Nor the crack in the plate
Nor the breath of confusion
Nor the starkness of slate
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
Not spinning
Not a ruse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek
Not food
Not to eat
Not what you really wanted
Nor the mess in your purse
Nor the bed that is haunted
With the blanket of thirst
It's not the hunger revealing
Nor the ricochet in the cave
Nor the hand that is healing
Nor the nameless grave
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
Not spinning
Not a ruse
Not heat
Not the fire lapping up the creek
Not food
Not to eat
Not to die
Not dying
Not to laugh
Not lying
Not the vacant wilderness vying
It's not the room
Not beginning
Not the crowd
Not winning
Not the planet
Not spinning
@nicoolio7310
The way her voice grows more desperate, intense, crying out almost... this song makes me wanna cry
@angierae403
Yup cry for everything thatβs notβ¦..
@prodajie
This ban just came into my life. I've been listening to every version of this song I can find and I tear up every time.
@Daytripped
I saw them last night and this song was traumatic. I could not stop crying
@Gamn745i
Wish I knew what it is about his song that is so evocative and emotional for so many....taps into something inside that's obviously very raw
@john-ic5pz
I hear you niccolo. I used to cry now it makes me wanna play punch the predators...
toxic masculinity or pushing back at a predatory universe bcuz I'm sick of laying down like a martyr-masochist? π€· what's your opinion?
@averybrewer3036
In the summer of 2019, I was on a trail crew in Colorado. We were away from everything. A woman on my crew played this song on guitar frequently and beautifully. For a long time, her rendition was the only one I knew. That was probably the best summer of my life. Months later, after returning to college, I heard this recording play in a movie theater downtown and teared up. Amazing song, very special for many reasons.
@varsha9682
β€οΈ
@sunshinesunshine62
I had a similar experience with this song! I was in Denver Colorado I had a small cafΓ© really late at night and a girl and a guy were singing, they sang the song. I thought it was theirs until I heard it later on XMU. It is such a special song!
@guilhermeseltz6303
12MA16