SPECTRUM
Florence & the Machine feat Calvin Harris Lyrics


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When we first came here
We were cold and we were clear
With no colors on our skin
We were light and paper-thin
And when we first came here
We were cold and we were clear
With no colors on our skin
'Til you let the spectrum in

Say my name
And every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again

Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again
Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again

And when we come for you
We dressed up all in blue
With the ocean in our arms
Kiss your eyes and kiss your palms
And when it's time to pray (better pray to God)
We'll be dressed up all in gray
With metal on our tongues
And silver in our lungs

Say my name
And every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again

Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again
Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again

And when we come back we'll be dressed in black
And you'll scream our names aloud
And we won't eat and we won't sleep
We'll drag bodies from the ground

So say my name
And every color illuminates
And we are shining
And we'll never be afraid again
Say my name
As every color illuminates

Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again
Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we'll never be afraid again

Say my name
We are shining
Say my name




Say my name
And we'll never be afraid again

Overall Meaning

The song Spectrum by Florence + the Machine seems to be about self-discovery and empowerment. The opening lines of the song suggest that initially, the singer and the others were uncolored or colorless with no identity of their own. However, this changes when they come across someone who "lets the spectrum in." The 'spectrum' here could be a reference to a new understanding of themselves that they gained, or it is possible that this outside source is finally seeing them for who they are and allowing them to be themselves. They then declare that they are shining and will never be afraid again.


The verse that follows seems to be a continuation of the same idea, but the imagery is different. This time, they talk about dressing up in blue with the ocean in their arms, as they come for someone. The next line then says that when it's time to pray, they dress up in gray with metal on their tongues and silver in their lungs. These images are slightly disturbing but give the impression that the singers have a new sense of power and confidence.


The chorus repeats the idea that the singer is shining, and every color illuminates when their name is spoken. This seems to be a metaphor for the idea that they have come into their own and are now shining their unique light into the world. The final verse is quite ominous, talking about being dressed in black as they come back, screaming their names aloud, and dragging bodies from the ground. However, despite these darker images, they end the song with the same message of empowerment and pride.


Line by Line Meaning

When we first came here
When we arrived at this place


We were cold and we were clear
We were aloof and hard-hearted


With no colors on our skin
Our skin was devoid of colors


We were light and paper-thin
We were weightless and fragile


Till you let the spectrum in
Until you showed us the spectrum of colors


Say my name
Call out my name


And every color illuminates
All colors become vibrant and visible


We are shining
We shine radiantly


And we will never be afraid again
And we will not experience fear again


And when we come for you
And when we arrive to take you


We dressed up all in blue
We wear blue attire


With the ocean in our arms
Holding the sea in our arms


Kiss your eyes and kiss your palms
We kiss your eyes and your palms


And when it's time to pray (better pray to god)
When it's time to pray (it's better to pray to God)


We dressed up all in gray
We wear gray clothing


With metal on our tongues
With metal on our tongues


And silver in our lungs
And silver in our lungs


And when we come back we'll be dressed in black
And when we return we will be donning black


And you'll scream our names aloud
And you will scream our names loudly


And we won't eat and we won't sleep
We won't eat or sleep


We'll drag bodies from the ground
We will remove bodies from the ground


We are shining
We shine radiantly


Say my name, as every color illuminates
Call out my name, as all colors become vibrant and visible


Say my name
Call out my name


And we will never be afraid again
And we will not experience fear again


We are shining
We shine radiantly




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Florence Leontine Mary Welch, Paul Richard Epworth

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@FracturedPixels

A friend of mine heard this song on the radio about when it came out and didn't know the name and could barely even remember what it sounded like. We must've spent the better part of 3 years looking for it. Then just minutes ago, him, myself and several other friends were all on teamspeak together, and it started playing on someone's radio in the background, he went crazy, screaming "OH MY GOD WHAT IS THE NAME OF THAT SONG!" and when they said the name I looked it up and played it through my server's music bot and I'm nearly crying right now listening to a song that has been stuck in my head for 3 years.

@ZachaKidd

+FracturedPixels That's the best feeling EVER! :D Happy for you haha

@Soy234

+FracturedPixels I've heard this song about last year, and I moved on with other songs. When I heard it on Spotify (radio) I was all like, this is good! I think I heard this before! Adds to dance playlist Don't make any mean comments about your opinions please.

@Soy234

+FracturedPixels I was listening to Calvin Harris or searching up some Calvin Harris stuff, yes I'm a fan of Calvin Harris.

@murraystenhouse2811

+FracturedPixels I remembered it just a few minutes ago and instantly remembered it, but I know how it feels...

@BeastMK

+FracturedPixels you could`ve try better if you typed the lyrics of the song on google..i do like it and got 90% of songs i wanted and heard for 1th time :)

152 More Replies...

@yaboi912

Calvin + Florence = Perfection

@tylerrock7219

Yes, that formula is entirely accurate.

@zzwar_legends2047

defiantly got an A* in math

@ricausdomber1

Ryan Thurston ok ok

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