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.
The Way We Used To
Chelsea Wolfe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We could be sleeping
I'll disappear then maybe
When you're here I know I could never love you
I only dream of you after you are gone
We don't work the way we used to
Your face has changed since morning
Say it
I want to hear some truth
Say it
Say it
When you're here I know I could never love you
I only dream of you after you are gone
In Chelsea Wolfe's "The Way We Used To," the lyrics speak to a relationship that has lost its spark. The singer is questioning whether they are wasting their time being awake when they could be sleeping. They then suggest disappearing, possibly meaning leaving the relationship altogether. The next lines suggest that when the other person is present, the singer knows they could never love them, but only dreams of them after they're gone. The line "We don't work the way we used to" further emphasizes the idea that this relationship is falling apart.
As the song progresses, the singer points out that the other person's face has changed since morning. This could be a literal observation about their appearance, but it could also be a metaphor for how the relationship has changed. The singer then pleads with the other person to tell them the truth, to say what they really feel. This could be a last ditch effort to save the relationship, or it could be the singer wanting closure before they leave.
Line by Line Meaning
Are we wasting our time awake here
Is our presence here useless?
We could be sleeping
We could rest instead of being here.
I'll disappear then maybe
I might leave without notice.
When you're here I know I could never love you
Your presence hinders my love.
I only dream of you after you are gone
I value your absence more than your presence.
We don't work the way we used to
Our relationship has changed.
Your face has changed since morning
You have changed since we woke up.
Say it
Speak the truth.
I want to hear some truth
I seek honesty.
Say it
Speak up.
Say it
Tell me what you really feel.
When you're here I know I could never love you
Your presence discourages my love.
I only dream of you after you are gone
You are more appealing to me when you are not around.
Contributed by Kennedy Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
8WisdomFish8
I had chills the whole time see like takes u into another world and let's your soul run free that's how good she is
D.J. Giltner
Saw her on a very strange YouTube talk show called "The Goreburger Show" while searching Cedric Bixler Zavala (?) interviews and her performance moved me so much! Fast forward a couple years and heard her just now on a "come to Las Vegas" commercial and had to listen here so thank you very much for making Chelsea Wolfe available to the masses and thank you Chelsea Wolfe for music
sonnieandjacob
@christofyre same here
christofyre
That’s exactly how I found Chelsea! By watching Mars Volta interviews until I stumbled on the Gorburger Show and fell in love immediately!
D.J. Giltner
Just remember it was "The goreberger show"
Pop Tart
MY awesome new handle do you have a link to that show
Sean S.
How is Chelsea Wolfe ALWAYS SO MAJESTIC AND PERFECT
Cleve Crudgington
I saw her live a month or so ago and she sang this version of this song. It was magical.
Janet Craft
I like the location. It has a natural echo which enhances her voice. Listen to it with your eyes closed and you'd swear she is in some bat cave.
Jamie Van Beveren
tricksebas she does use reverb effects on vocals but she also does create a natural reverb with her vocals often. Check out some acoustic videos where she is sans anything but perhaps the good acoustics of the room