Spectrum
Florence the Machine 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
'Till you let the spectrum in

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

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

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

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

Say my name
And 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 will 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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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@dademurphy8852

SO! I just figured out the meaning of this song, and it's about Recovery & Jesus. This is without a doubt the most powerful & meaningful song i've ever heard. Maya Jane Coles does an absolutely breathtaking job on the remix as per usual & Florence+The Machine's voice resonates sending chills down my spine. Check it out--

(Verse 1)
"When we first came here
We were cold and we were clear
With no colors in our skin
We were light and paper thin
And when we first came here
we were cold and we were clear
With no colors in our skin
'Til we let the spectrum in"

*Interpretation: Addiction will make you look & feel transparent, "clear", fragile, and weak / "cold". "We were clear" means see-through, or (again) transparent, and does not represent clarity. Colors here represent life or lack thereof as they normally do throughout music and religion. Once we as addicts began to understand that were existing, and not living, did we begin to “let the spectrum in”*

(Chorus) 
Say my name
As every color illuminates
We are shining
And we will never be afraid again

*Interpretation: This ties it all together. When you have finally had your fill, you will call upon the Lord and your "moment of clarity" will be discovered. Those of us who have "seen the light" behind the guise of Addiction know this is real, and we will never be afraid again, of anything, for any reason. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13) *

(Verse 2)
And when we come for you
We'll be 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
We'll be dressed up all in grey
With metal on our tongues
And silver in our lungs

*Interpretation: The most important verse of the song. The first 2 lines detail how the Light of God will initially present itself to you when you are ready for Recovery. In Roman Catholicism, the color Blue symbolizes the sky or heaven, where heralds proclaimed Jesus' birth. In Roman Catholic tradition, it symbolizes Mary, who is known as "the Queen of Heaven." It also symbolizes the waters of Genesis 1, the beginning of a new creation. It is increasingly used for Advent in Protestant churches to distinguish this season from Lent. This is important because Advent is symbolized as the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. “He” can be substituted for oneself in this sense. The next two lines, “With the oceans in our arms, kiss your eyes and kiss your palms” is deeply symbolic of the newfound freedom that comes with your moment of clarity. Oceans, vast and blue, are commonly associated and symbolic of the meaning of freedom. Whereas before an addict, you were constantly at the behest of an overwhelming power, seemingly unbreakable. Kiss your eyes and kiss your palms means that your vision of the world will be cleansed & sanctified; The palm is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life. “When it’s time to pray, we’ll be dressed up all in gray” Gray is the color of ashes, and therefore a biblical symbol of mourning and repentance. We mourn because we have laid to rest our demons and that part of us has finally died, a new person will be resurrected, and we repent for the sins we have committed during our addiction. “With metal on our tongues and silver in our lungs”- Metal and Silver and White are used interchangeably in Catholicism. They are meant to symbolize purity, holiness, and virtue, as well as respect and reverence. Therefore, “metal on our tongue” would mean we now are able to purely speak as we were initially before our addiction; our real self has broken through. And Silver in our lungs would mean we have finally made the last stride and allowed the light of god to shine into our soul allowing for all of this to happen..*

** FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED(Romans 10:13) **



All comments from YouTube:

@brendawilliams2773

I'm always afraid of someone taking down this awesome song and forever lose it!

@felixg3

just let me know and I'll send you the file then ;)

@takatrip7560

@felixg3 nice. you a chill pill

@takatrip7560

shining

@AnthonyWoodrichPMP

I own it...I too can send it to you. It is the Best!

@calmadventuresmeaningfulmu1534

YouTube to mp3 downloader for free ;)))

3 More Replies...

@AnthonyWoodrichPMP

This is by far the Best of all the "Say my name" Remixes, and the original.....Maya Jane Coles....I need to meet you!

@creativeexpression3376

Brilliant remix, very powerful,no need for drugs, just use music 🎶

@Lucass84

That's how Bean Remix moves like a portal to another world, if you can listen to the depth of sounds. ... stimulants are good, but they don't like to listen at home on specific diving equipment 🔈 Regards 👋👋👋🎶🎶 👌 Masterpiece. 🙏🎶🍷🔮

@discordiaVI

Sasha’s sample on the background gives this remix an organic and sweet texture on it. That and the amazing work on the vocals is what makes it an absolute banger! Maya you did it again…

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