Caroline on the representation of the word 'PANG' as a “concept mood” for the album name:
"I was having adrenaline surges right around the time I was starting to work on this music. I was traveling constantly and my personal life was about to become totally uprooted. One morning in England, I was lying awake at 6 AM, watching the sun come up, and had an adrenaline surge for no reason. My heart started beating really fast—that fight or flight adrenaline response you can feel between your ribs. It’s like you’re being pricked from the inside. I thought, ‘How do I describe this feeling? It’s a… pang.’ Then I started thinking about that word. It’s only really used to describe a feeling of lack. We use it to describe hunger, envy, desire, nostalgia and jealousy — all those things that are forms of hunger."
Pang
Caroline Polachek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a beautiful knife cutting right where the fear should be
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
Tell me what you're afraid of
Tell what night is made of
What can I not destroy for you
Color the night electric
Get in me like a secret
I open the door and you run through
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
Color the night electric
Get in me like a secret
I open the door and you run through
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
(Tell me what you're afraid of)
There's a look in your eyes when you're hungry for me
(Tell me what you're afraid of)
It's a beautiful knife cutting right where the fear should be
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
Color the night electric
Get in me like a secret
I open the door and you run through
Into me
Pang, and I go
Into you
Pang, and you go
Into me
(Tell me what you're afraid of)
Into you (pang)
Into me (pang)
(Tell me what you're afraid of)
Into you (pang)
Into me (pang)
(Tell me what you're afraid of)
Oh woah oh
Into you (pang)
Into me (pang)
The song "Pang" by Carolyn Polachek deals with the concept of vulnerability and the fear that arises from intimacy. The opening lines "There's a look in your eyes when you're hungry for me / It's a beautiful knife cutting right where the fear should be" sets the tone for the song as she describes the feeling of being exposed and the potential pain that comes with it. "Pang" refers to the sudden, sharp pain that comes from putting oneself in a vulnerable position, which is emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "Into me / Pang, and I go / Into you / Pang, and you go".
As the song progresses, Polachek urges her partner to open up to her and reveal their fears, promising to listen and not to destroy them. The chorus consisting of "Color the night electric / Get in me like a secret / I open the door and you run through" describes the excitement that comes with exposing oneself to another person and the anticipation of what might come out of it.
The song's theme is conveyed by the contrast between the soft, almost ethereal melody and the powerful, emotionally charged lyrics. Polachek's voice rises and falls with the intensity of the lyrics, creating a sense of urgency and intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a look in your eyes when you're hungry for me
You have a yearning desire for me, evident in the expression of your eyes.
It's a beautiful knife cutting right where the fear should be
This yearning feeling is so intense and beautiful that it cuts through the fear and apprehension you should feel in this situation.
Into me
The emotions and desires are overwhelming and felt to the core of my being.
Pang, and I go
The intensity of the feelings is so potent that it causes a physical reaction within me.
Into you
These intense feelings are directed towards you.
Tell me what you're afraid of
Share with me your deepest fears and anxieties.
Tell what night is made of
Reveal to me the nature and essence of the darkness in your life.
What can I not destroy for you
What challenge or obstacle can I help you overcome that you cannot do alone?
Color the night electric
Transform the dull and lifeless night into something electrifying and exciting.
Get in me like a secret
Come into me intimately and privately like a well-kept secret.
I open the door and you run through
I welcome you into my life and you come into it with great energy and enthusiasm.
Into you (pang)
All of these intense feelings are directed towards you and they trigger the same response within me.
Into me (pang)
These intense feelings penetrate deep into me and elicit a physical and emotional reaction.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Caroline Polachek, Danny Harle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jupiter
I really love, love Camilla and love her artwork and songs and styles- but I am SO, SO disappointed in how much she just outright took from you in these areas.
The album was just a complete rip off.
Which is such a shame, because Camilla has the chops-
Yet she doesn't have the substance.
And Caroline you DO have the substance.
You have it & May your songs come to shine more and ring true.
May your voice sing more clearly than those who seek not to credit those who hold them up and come before them
& Yes if you want to beat her out name wise- cabello is easier to remember rolls of the tongue.
But you know what comes before Cabello
Is CARE
Care.
Caroline.
Care-
Care about the sounds
Care about the feelings
Care about the messages being relayed
We Care.
We are your Care Bears :)
& We'll take the CARE over the COBAYo any day!
Oliwier Kowalczyk
I am BREATHING her debut album as an oxygen substitute...
Alessandro Boicel-Maldonado
SAME SIS
Gabriel B.
queen of alternative ventilators
Jake
This song sounds like I'm walking in a forest full of mystical fairies. I love it.
Jupiter
I learned a new word today: Pang- a sudden sharp pain or painful emotion.
shyvirg1n
my chest does that sometimes
Liquidinthejar
My Heart's makes that when I feel anxious
ʻIkuā
she's so insanely talented. i love her lyric writing, she crafts difficult and beautiful melodies and sings them effortlessly. her voice commands a wide vocal range and she's just wonderful
i go to a music conservatory and my friends and i like drinking and discussing her music together - she's not the classical music we study, but we all still enjoy listening to her motifs, her ideas, her art :) she's a hidden gem
Harmony
It also means of desire
Hamilton Askew
You always knew the word. You just didn't know you knew. "Hunger pangs"