Chelsea Joy Wolfe (born November 14, 1983 in Roseville, California, U.S.) i… Read Full Bio ↴Chelsea Joy Wolfe (born November 14, 1983 in Roseville, California, U.S.) is an American singer/songwriter and eponymous full band started in 2009 out of Los Angeles, California Her style has been described as "doom folk" and her music has been described as "a specific brand of drone-metal-art-folk."

Chelsea Joy Wolfe was born in Roseville, California, and grew up in Sacramento. She is of Norwegian and German descent. Her father was in a country band and owned a home studio. By the age of 7, she had written her first poem and by the age of 9, she had written and recorded songs which she later described as "basically Casio-based gothy R&B songs."

Inspired by the dark state of the world and the strange connection between all things, she creates a unique musical blend of goth-folk, experimental rock and spiritual realm funeral songs. With influences ranging from the great minds of Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch to Soviet and end-times literature, her songs conjure visions of other dimensions, claustrophobic echo-rooms and parking garage cathedrals.

Wolfe has recorded seven full length studio albums: The Grime and the Glow, which was released on December 28th, 2010 on limited vinyl through Brooklyn’s Pendu Sound Recordings; Ἀποκάλυψις (pronounced “Apokalypsis”), which was released as a 12” LP on August 23rd, 2011; Unknown Rooms: a Collection of Acoustic Songs, which was released on October, 2012 through Sargent House; Pain Is Beauty, out September 3rd, 2013; Abyss, which was released August 7th, 2015; and Hiss Spun, out September 22nd, 2017; Birth of Violence[7i] which was released on September 13th, 2019.

Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter
Chelsea Wolfe Lyrics

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I don't know what I ever wanted
you got a front, well you better flaunt it
ate a piece of the devil's body
the face of the devil follows me
every day it feels like I'm running
and I'm headed straight for the blaze
and I can breathe when I'm underwater
and I'm ready with a finger on the trigger

ooh, who's that girl
who's that girl
she's only special in secret
and she's got her own familiar spirits
something inside of her rises and she knows
destruction makes the world burn brighter
who's that girl
who's that girl
(Use that gun)
who's that girl
who's that girl
I don't know what I ever wanted
you got a front well you better flaunt it

ate a piece of the devil's body
yea the face of the devil follows me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chelsea Wolfe's song "Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter" convey a sense of desperation and recklessness. The opening lines "I don't know what I ever wanted, you got a front, well you better flaunt it" suggest a feeling of emptiness and a need for validation from external sources. The reference to "ate a piece of the devil's body" speaks to a self-destructive tendency, perhaps fueled by addiction or mental illness, and the haunting image of the devil's face following the singer suggests a constant sense of being chased by one's own demons.

The chorus, with its repeated question "who's that girl" followed by the command to "use that gun," suggests a feeling of dissociation and a blurring of the line between the self and a more destructive alter-ego. The line "she's only special in secret" implies a sense of shame or secrecy around this darker side of the self, while "something inside of her rises and she knows destruction makes the world burn brighter" suggests that there is a certain allure to the chaos and destruction that comes with giving in to these impulses.

Overall, the lyrics of "Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter" convey a sense of desperation and a need for release, as well as a fascination with the darker side of one's own psyche.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't know what I ever wanted
Uncertain of what I truly desire

you got a front, well you better flaunt it
If you have a quality, show it off

ate a piece of the devil's body
Consumed evil or temptation

the face of the devil follows me
Haunted by my sins or dark past

every day it feels like I'm running
Life is overwhelming, constantly moving

and I'm headed straight for the blaze
Heading towards destruction

and I can breathe when I'm underwater
Finding comfort in unusual places

and I'm ready with a finger on the trigger
Prepared for anything that may come my way

ooh, who's that girl
Curious about someone unfamiliar

she's only special in secret
Her true worth is unknown to others

and she's got her own familiar spirits
Connecting to supernatural forces