SHE’S GOT A NEW SPELL
Billy Bragg Lyrics


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What is that sound?
Where is it coming from?
All around
What are you running from?

Something you don't understand
Something you cannot command
That's how I know
She's got a new spell

Yes, that's how I know
That she's got a new spell
What's going down?
Who's moved this room from round me?

Where has it gone?
I fear this night will drown me
So I lie awake all night
'Cause I can't sleep with something I can't fight

The laws of gravity are very, very strict
And you're just bending them for your own benefit
One minute she says
She's gone to get the cat in

The next thing I know
She's mumbling in Latin
She cut the stars out of the sky
And baked them in a pie





She stole the scene and scenery
The script and the machinery

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Billy Bragg’s song New Spell suggest a sense of confusion and disorientation. The song begins with a series of questions about an unidentified sound and what the listener is running from. The sense of uncertainty and unease is reinforced by the use of questions rather than statements. This creates an air of ambiguity and the feeling that the singer is grappling with something that he cannot fully comprehend. There is a sense of being outside of one’s comfort zone where the world around the singer seems to be changing as the room moves, leaving him disorientated, vulnerable and at risk of being overwhelmed or drowned by the night. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but one possible reading is that they explore the experience of losing control, feeling powerless, and encountering the unknown or the supernatural.


The chorus employs repetition to emphasize the central message: “That's how I know, she's got a new spell.” The chorus provides some clarification to the mysterious experiences of the singer; the line “she’s got a new spell” connects the disjointed scenes presented and suggests that these experiences are the result of an external force that the singer cannot control. The final verse depicts a transformation happening before the singer's eyes that is so impossible, it feels like witchcraft. The woman is performing acts of magic that defy the laws of physics and basic reason.


In summary, the lyrics of "New Spell" express the feelings of disorientation and uncertainty that occur when we find ourselves faced with something beyond our control or comprehension. The singer feels powerless in the face of an unknown force, and is overwhelmed by feelings of confusion and vulnerability. The song is a powerful exploration of the human experience of encountering unexpected or supernatural events and our sense of frustration in the face of not understanding them.


Line by Line Meaning

What is that sound?
Asks a question to know what he is hearing


Where is it coming from?
Asks a question seeking the location of the sound he hears


All around
Specifies that the sound is coming from all around him


What are you running from?
Asks a question seeking the reason for someone running away.


Something you don't understand
Innocent ignorance of a thing he doesn’t comprehend


Something you cannot command
He knows that it cannot be controlled.


That's how I know
Offering assurance that they know.


She's got a new spell
She has acquired a new power which evades his understanding.


Yes, that's how I know
Reiterates that he is aware of the situation.


What's going down?
Another question seeking information on what is happening


Who's moved this room from round me?
Expresses confusion over his surroundings not being as he remembers


Where has it gone?
He can not locate something tangible and real


I fear this night will drown me
The night is overwhelming him with fear


So I lie awake all night
He is stressing and imagining scenarios, causing him to lose sleep


'Cause I can't sleep with something I can't fight
He is grappling with a force beyond confrontation, which makes him lose sleep.


The laws of gravity are very, very strict
The concept of the earth's natural laws being impartial and tightly regulated for everyone.


And you're just bending them for your own benefit
Playing on his lover’s newfound power, to suggest that she is violating the laws of nature to serve her convenience, altering what is known.


One minute she says,
He is relaying an instance of his lover’s unpredictability, as he starts another story


She's gone to get the cat in
She has gone to retrieve the cat and bring it indoors.


The next thing I know
The swift transition that intervened without warning


She's mumbling in Latin
His lover is uttering Latin words, which he can’t understand.


She cut the stars out of the sky
Extreme imagery of something strange and magical that can’t be comprehended by his lover's actions.


And baked them in a pie
An impossible feat made believable by the power of magic


She stole the scene and scenery
She has to snatch away the artist’s limelight, along with the set dressing and accessories.


The script and the machinery
She has stolen the blueprint of the story, and the technical mechanisms used to bring it to life.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN WILLIAM BRAGG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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