Lead singer, Florence Welch, was an art-college drop-out, from Camberwell (London), who was discovered singing Motown covers in a nightclub toilet, drunk. ”The Machine” name originated with an in-joke between Welch and Summers. Musically, Florence + The Machine's sound is sometimes referred to as soul-inspired indie rock. Welch grew up listening to The White Stripes and Kate Bush and says she writes metaphorical songs that are "stories with consequences and weird morality issues."
2008
Florence + The Machine's music has received praise across the British music media, especially from the BBC, who played a large part in their rise to prominence, by bringing them into the spotlight as part of "BBC Introducing" (a program to support unsigned artists) - firstly at South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in March 2008 and later that year (Sept 2008) the band recorded a full session for the BBC at their Maida Vale studios.
2009 - 2010 - first awards and first studio album - "Lungs"
At the Brit Awards 2009, Florence + The Machine received the Critics' Choice Award at the Brits in the UK. The award was introduced in 2008 (when it was awarded to Adele) and focuses on new and emerging British talent, voted for by a panel of music industry experts.
The band's début album was "Lungs" (Jul 2009, Universal), preceded by third single Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Jun 2009, Moshi Moshi). "Lungs" went on to become number one in the UK album charts in January 2010, and won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 Brits, where they performed a hugely popular collaboration, You've Got the Dirtee Love (live at The Brit Awards 2010) with Dizzee Rascal - a mix of You've Got the Love, the Candi Staton cover from "Dog Days Are Over" (Nov 2008, IAmSound), and Dizzee’s Dirtee Cash (Sept 2009, Dirtee Stank).
2011 - second studio album - "Ceremonials"
The second album "Ceremonials" (31 Oct 2011, Island) - with which Welch was inspired for the title and some themes from a '70s Super 8 film of an art installation, she recalls: "... this big procession of kind of coquette-style hippies and all these different coloured robes and masks, and it was all to do with colour, really saturated, brightly coloured pastas and balloons. I saw it a couple years ago, and it was called 'Ceremonials' and then, like, Roman numerals after it. And the word sort of stuck with me, and I think the whole idea of performance ...". The album is also influenced by hymns, poems and church bells.
2012 - MTV Unplugged album - "MTV Unplugged"
In 2012, the band released a live album - "MTV Unplugged" (Apr 2012, Universal) - as part of the MTV Unplugged series. It was filmed in December 2011 in New York’s oldest synagogue building, Angel Orensanz Center, with the band being backed by a ten-person choir.
2015 - third studio album - "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful"
The band's long awaited third studio album is called "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful". It was released on May 29, 2015 on Island Records.
2018 - fourth studio album - "High As Hope"
The band's fourth studio album is called "High As Hope". It was released on June 29, 2018 on Republic Records.
Which Witch
Florence + the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weighed and measured inside
And it's an old scar
Trying to bleach it out
And it's my whole heart
Deemed and delivered a crime
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
Who's a heretic now?
Am I making sense?
How can you make it stick?
Waiting 'til the beat comes out
Who's a heretic, child?
Can you make it stick, now?
And I'm on trial
Waiting 'til the beat comes out
I'm miles away, he's on my mind
I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
And I've had enough, it's obvious
And I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
Crawling all the way
Crawling all the way
I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dark since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget
I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dark since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget
And it's my whole heart
While tried and tested, it's mine
And it's my whole heart
Trying to reach it out
And it's my whole heart
Burned but not buried this time
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
I'm miles away, he's on my mind
I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
And I've had enough, it's obvious
And I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dark since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget
I'm not beat up by this yet
You can't tell me to regret
Been in the dark since the day we met
Fire, help me to forget
Chained and shackled, oh
All that gravel, oh
It's a pity, oh
Never to return
But I never learn
It's a pity, oh
Chained and shackled, oh
All that gravel, oh
It's a pity, oh
Say I won't return
But I never learn
It's a pity, oh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
The lyrics of Florence + the Machine's "Which Witch" explore the themes of heartbreak and betrayal. Florence Welch sings about her whole heart being weighed and measured, deemed a crime and put on trial, waiting for the beat to come out to be judged. The singer feels like a heretic, wondering if she makes sense and questioning if she will be able to make it stick. She is tired of crawling, tired of being in the dark, and wishes for the fire to help her forget.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of being trapped and chained, unable to escape the pain caused by a love that has gone wrong. The gravel and the chains represent the weight the singer bears, and the inability to return to a state of innocence. Even though she admits to having enough and to be burned, she keeps crawling, never truly learning.
Line by Line Meaning
And it's my whole heart
The singer is referring to something deeply personal
Weighed and measured inside
This personal matter has been analyzed in detail
And it's an old scar
The matter being referred to is past trauma or hurt
Trying to bleach it out
The artist is trying to forget this hurtful experience
Deemed and delivered a crime
The artist is being judged and held accountable for this experience
I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out
The singer is waiting for a decision to be made regarding their guilt or innocence
Who's a heretic now?
The singer questions the validity of their beliefs and actions
Am I making sense?
The artist is unsure if their thoughts and feelings are rational
How can you make it stick?
The artist questions how their actions can have long-term consequences
Who's a heretic, child?
The artist questions the beliefs and actions of others, possibly a child
Can you make it stick, now?
The singer challenges others to prove their wrongdoing or change their thinking
I'm miles away, he's on my mind
Despite physical distance, the artist is thinking of someone they care about
I'm getting tired of crawling all the way
The singer is frustrated with putting in effort to maintain this connection
And I've had enough, it's obvious
The singer has reached a breaking point in this relationship
Crawling all the way
The relationship is challenging and requires a lot of work
I'm not beat up by this yet
Despite the challenges, the artist is not defeated
You can't tell me to regret
The artist refuses to feel guilty or remorseful for their actions or feelings
Been in the dark since the day we met
The singer has been struggling with this relationship since the beginning
Fire, help me to forget
The singer is seeking either emotional or literal destruction to overcome their pain
While tried and tested, it's mine
Despite difficult circumstances, the artist is still in control of their own heart
Trying to reach it out
The artist is seeking to express their feelings and be vulnerable
Burned but not buried this time
The artist has been hurt before but is not completely defeated
Chained and shackled, oh
The singer feels trapped and limited by their situation
All that gravel, oh
The artist is surrounded by harsh and unpleasant circumstances
It's a pity, oh
The singer laments their situation
Never to return
The singer has accepted that they cannot go back to the way things were
But I never learn
Despite experiencing similar situations before, the singer continues to make the same mistakes
Ooh
Vocalization or musical interlude
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FLORENCE LEONTINE MARY WELCH, ISABELLA JANET FLORENTINA SUMMERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind