smother
Daughter. Lyrics
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On a foolish, fragile spine
I want all that is not mine
I want him but we're not right
In the darkness, I will meet my creators
And they will all agree, that I'm a suffocator
For my bones have found a place to lie down and sleep
Where all my layers can become reeds
All my limbs can become trees
All my children can become me
What a mess I leave
To follow
To follow
To follow
To follow
In the darkness, I will meet my creators
And they will all agree that I'm a suffocator, suffocator, suffocator
Oh love
I'm sorry if I smothered you
I'm sorry if I smothered you
I sometimes wish I'd stayed inside
My mother
Never to come out
The lyrics to "Smother" by Daughter speak of a person who feels lost and trapped, struggling to find their place in the world. They are wasting time, lost in confusion, and want what they cannot have. The imagery of a "foolish, fragile spine" suggests weakness, and the desire for something unattainable is a recurring theme throughout the song.
The person in the song feels suffocated by their own existence, as if they are drowning or trapped in their own skin. The repeated references to meeting their "creators" in the darkness suggest a yearning for connection, for a deeper understanding of the world and their place in it, but also a sense of being overwhelmed by the weight of existence. The use of the word "suffocator" drives home the idea that they feel stifled, both by their own actions and by the world around them.
The chorus, with its repeated pleas for forgiveness, reinforces the idea that the person in the song feels trapped and isolated. They feel as though they have smothered the people they love, and they long for the safety and security of their mother's embrace. The closing lines, "Never to come out," suggest a fear of the world outside, a fear of being exposed and vulnerable.
Overall, "Smother" is a haunting, atmospheric song that touches on themes of isolation, longing, and vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
I am wasted, losing time
I am intoxicated, wasting away precious moments of my life.
On a foolish, fragile spine
My backbone is foolish and weak, unable to withstand difficult situations.
I want all that is not mine
I desire everything that I do not possess.
I want him but we're not right
I desire him, but our relationship is not appropriate or functional.
In the darkness, I will meet my creators
During times of despair, I will confront my own shortcomings and flaws.
And they will all agree, that I'm a suffocator
In my darkest times, I will be forced to acknowledge that I have smothered and oppressed those around me.
I should go now quietly
It is time for me to depart in silence.
For my bones have found a place to lie down and sleep
My physical form has found a final resting place.
Where all my layers can become reeds
Where my many layers and complexities can transform into something simpler and more natural.
All my limbs can become trees
Even my extremities can transform into something strong and stable, like a tree's roots.
All my children can become me
Everything that I have produced or influenced will be a reflection of myself.
What a mess I leave
The chaos and disorder I am responsible for will be a testament to my life.
To follow
To pursue or chase after something.
Oh love
An expression of affection or emotion for someone or something.
I'm sorry if I smothered you
I apologize if I oppressed or suffocated you with my actions or emotions.
I sometimes wish I'd stayed inside
There are times when I wish I never entered the world or became who I am.
My mother
A reference to the artist's own mother, who could represent both nurture and oppression depending on the interpretation.
Never to come out
The singer wishes that they had never been born or brought into the world.
And they will all agree that I'm a suffocator, suffocator, suffocator
The singer is obsessed with the idea that she has suffocated others and will be seen that way by those around her.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Elena Veronica Tonra, Igor Alexandre Haefeli
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nawarharou2505
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I'm wasted, losing time
I'm a foolish, fragile spine
I want all that is not mine
I want him but we're not right
[Chorus]
In the darkness I will meet my creators
And they will all agree, that I'm a suffocator
[Verse 2]
I should go now quietly
For my bones have found a place
To lie down and sleep
Where all my layers can become reeds
All my limbs can become trees
All my children can become me
What a mess I leave
To follow
To follow
To follow
To follow
[Chorus]
In the darkness I will meet my creators
And they will all agree, that I'm a suffocator
Oh love I'm sorry if I smothered you I'm sorry if I smothered you I sometimes wish I'd stayed inside My mother Never to come out
@xaerante
I’m wasted, losing time
I’m a foolish, fragile spine
I want all that is not mine
I want him but we’re not right
In the darkness I will meet my creators
And they will all agree, that I’m a suffocator
I should go now quietly
For my bones have found a place to lie down and sleep
Where all my layers can become reeds
All my limbs can become trees
All my children can become me
What a mess I leave
To follow [4x]
In the darkness I will meet my creators
They will all agree, I’m a suffocator
Suffocator [2x]
Oh no
I’m sorry if I smothered you [2x]
I sometimes wish I’d stayed inside my mother
Never to come out
@ryanpham3308
Personally, I find this song to be a testament to myself.
I've been depressed for four years, since having lost a close friend to the 2015 Paris attacks (will not name who) while I was in middle school. Usually, I was the bright and bubbly outcast who somehow made a name for himself, but for four weeks straight after having received the news, I was sullen and seclusive. Two days after I broke down, making clear the revelation to many of my friends in class, and received much needed counseling and consoling. Not that it helped much.
My younger sister OD'd at the end of my high school year (still alive), and while she's let it slide, I still constantly blame myself for not knowing she was in such bad shape personally to have done such a thing. Hell, I had not a clue how depressed she was, prior to having done so. By now, we've ironed things out, but I still cry myself to bed in secret at the thought alone.
"Smother" was introduced to me by my second ex-girlfriend, with whom I've remained on good terms, post-breakup. Never before was I touched by a song so much or could relate to it to such a strong capacity, since it reminded me so much of myself and the above mentioned events.
My high school senior year, five people who I was close to were killed; one (my German teacher) in a motorcycle crash, the other four by suicide. The school only gave a shit for one student who was on the junior varsity football team; the others went quiet.
This year, said ex-girlfriend took her life.
I don't look the part, but I'm hurting. So much.
@PatricParrot
I don't regret knowing to know who you are.
I don't regret seeing who you were behind the veil you show to others.
I don't even regret coming to love you and feel my soul awaken with the joy and thirst for the life that we could have made together.
I feel the sorrow that you let go of who I am.
You forgot the person who you had fallen in love with.
Even if it was because of someone else or because of myself.
I awake each day feeling the same way I did for you.
I awake feeling as though there is something that I should have said.
Something I should have felt.
That isn't the case.
You forgot me.
You forgot that I was the one who loved you when you were there.
I was the one who told you that you were more than even you saw yourself as.
I guess that is the problem with me.
I built you up.
I was the one who fell.
Now I am the one who is the rubble while you are the one.
The ones who awoke the dream that lived inside me.
Now I am the one who is left behind.
@ritnim8353
I'm wasted, losing time
On a foolish, fragile spine.
I want all that is not mine,
I want him but we're not right.
In the darkness, I will meet my creators
And they will all agree that I'm a suffocator.
I should go now quietly,
For my bones have found a place to lie down and sleep.
Where all my layers can become reeds,
All my limbs can become trees,
All my children can become me,
What a mess I'll leave,
To follow
To follow
To follow
To follow
In the darkness, I will meet my creators
And they will all agree that I'm a suffocator,
Suffocator
Suffocator
Oh no,
I'm sorry if I smothered you,
I'm sorry if I smothered you,
I sometimes wish I'd stay inside, my mother
Never to come out.
@avenoftheabyss4773
No friends. My friends always leave me behind. I'm adopted, and while my siblings all got to be with each other, it was just me who was left alone. Not to mention why we got adopted out being the reason a few of the messed up ones, including me, got PTSD with all the other mental issues that I can thank our parents for since all they did was huff paint and drink when they had us and our mother even when she was pregnant. I still remember the times when my parents would lock us in this small closet just because we were being loud from crying, the only person in there with me being my other sister who's a year older. I remember her crying. I remember having lice in my hair, my teeth having bottle rot, my stomach protruding from being malnourished. I remember whenever I got scared, sad, or hungry, it wasn't our parents there, as they were off getting drunk or high, but it was two of our older siblings, my eldest sister and youngest brother. Whenever I cried from a bloody nose, my eldest sister would be the one to calm me. When I woke up screaming from nightmares, they would be there for me. I remember getting adopted out. They all got adopted with each other, the three brothers and one sister, the one who would cry with me in the closet, moved somewhere. My other three sisters, including my eldest, the one who always took care of me, moved to another house as well. I remember them visiting when we were younger, we would all have so much fun. Then it would be time for them to go, and as I stood at the screen door and looked out, I would watch them go as they weren't all together but at least they had each other. Over the years, they visited less and less, and now I don't even hear from my brothers or one sister. My brother brought me a teddy bear once, and I hugged it as I walked with him down my adoptive parent's sidewalk; he was wearing jail clothes. Unsurprising since my brothers have all been in jail at least once, my sister lost her children once already, and my other sister with my two other sisters has been in and out of psych for her bipolar disorder. One time she even shoved her mom, or was it hit, I don't remember. She's a mess too.
Our biological parents have been dead for years now. Then they all try and talk to me on something like Facebook, and say "I love you" like we're "Family." Yeah right. We haven't been family since were were just kids. I want to tell them, "I don't need you, maybe I did once, but now I don't want to," because it's true, I don't need them. Them, or my former "friends," or the ones in name only like on Facebook.
And now, I'm all grown up. No friends. I used to have friends, but they decided to leave me behind also. Depression, ADHD, Anxiety, some FAS even, I'm a mess.
I've thought of suicide before, of cutting my wrists, because I'm really a waste sometimes. And even with medications, I still get so gut-wrenchingly depressed.
As far as I'm concerned, I have no family except my mom and dad, the ones who adopted me. When they die, I'll be completely alone. I've thought of just ending it right there, because the thought of being absolutely alone terrifies me. My adoptive sisters, I have two, already had their own family when I was adopted. I rely on first impressions only, and I remember my one sister, the younger, giving me the feeling of almost resentment. I was an outsider, I got that easily, and I was a kid. The other sister, she tried to get close, but since I was already so gone, she never got through and now she never will. Their kids, my nieces or nephews, I got close to, but they would eventually grow up and move on also. I'd say I've broken from them also, but I was never truly close...so that helps.
This song makes me think of all the things in my life that I now look at bitterly. There are things I do treasure in my life though, but it has nothing to do with siblings or friends. It's my adoptive parents, my parents, my little pet furballs (gerbils), my hobbies, my books, and online things or people.
I think of this song, get depressed, but then I remember that if I accomplish my dream of being a graphic novelist, maybe I'll gain some real friends. One day I'll be happy, not alone, or not afraid of being so. For now though, I'll take the occasional time to wallow. For that, I thank songs like this, as nothing makes me think of my past as such.
It also feels better to get stuff out, even if no one gives a care.
Ha. And they say therapy would help, it's just talking. This will do.
@shaincontrerascofre4449
"Agobio"
Soy un desperdicio, pierdiendo el tiempo
Soy una tonta y frágil espina dorsal
Quiero todo lo que no es mío
Lo quiero a él, pero lo nuestro no es posible
En la oscuridad me encontrare con mis creadores
y todos estarán de acuerdo en que soy un agobio
Debería ir me ahora, silenciosamente
Con mis huesos hayando un lugar para enterrarse y descansar
Donde todas mis capas pueden volverse juncos,
Todas mis extremidades pueden volverse árboles
Todos mis hijos pueden convertirse en mi
Que lío que dejo
para seguir ...
Oh, Amor
Perdoname si te he agobiado,
Perdoname si te he agobiado,
A veces desearía haber permanecido dentro de mi madre
para nunca salir de ahí
@TheSodaBurst
Daughter's songs always make me think I'm drowning. I think it's the beautiful echoes.
@hunajajamaito9125
All I see is your profile picture.
@javierafigueroamoraga8316
TheSodaBurst Thissss If I could give you a million likes I would
@22darian
TheSodaBurst my therapist always told me that feeling came from the echoing of memories
@h3x131
Same
@BlueEagle1993
I always cry....And i'm a male person. But this is intense.......
@miriam8376
I love that she says "I wish I'd stayed inside my mother," instead of "I wish I'd never been born." As tragic as it is, it's also more hopeful. Inside our mothers we're at our safest, the closest to another human being we can be, and we still have all of our potential with none of our failures. It's a risk-free, entirely loved form of existing.
@jennygriesbaum068
I wish I could have stayed there forever..
@bbuuttercupp
That's a beautiful observation/interpretation. Thank you for pointing it out.
@shrutimishra242
this made me tear up