Parts of the song show Frank drowning in tears and filled with anger. In a November 2016 interview with the New York Times, Frank admitted to altering his voice in order to make it sound younger to better encapsulate the emotions of young love.
The song may be about Ocean’s first love, which he detailed in his 2012 open Tumblr letter.
Ivy is somewhat of a parasitic plant. It strangles adjacent trees and isn’t good for their health. In the context of the song, it may be a reflection of their unhealthy relationship. Ivy explores a failed relationship of Frank’s as he reflects on their relationship and his mistakes.
Frank and the person he’s singing about seems to have grown up and grew apart in the process. While he was overwhelmed when his partner told him that he/she loved him, he wasn’t prepared emotionally. In hindsight, the relationship was “the start of nothing” because they eventually separated.
Like an armored truck, the emotional walls Frank put up when he was younger were hard to get past—he didn’t let this person fully in. While this made him safer, it may be the reason why their relationship ended. Frank does however affirm the idea that the relationship was worthwhile and a memory to keep.
Frank performed a rough demo version of “Ivy” at the BMW Welt in Munich, the first stop of his European tour California Live, in June 2013.
The lyric “it started from nothing” has been much debated on this page, as it sounds like “the start of nothing” is a better syllabic fit.
The lyric is actually “it started from nothing,” as verified in the album accompanying magazine, Boy’s Don’t Cry.
Rostam Batmanglij was credited for his contributions on this song. He recollected to Billboard magazine:
"As soon as he played me ‘Ivy’ in its original form, I had a vision for what it could sound like."
“Ivy” debuted at #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart week of September 10, 2016.
Ivy
Frank Ocean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you comin'
The start of nothin'
Knew I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
When we both know that deep down
If I could see through walls, I could see you're fakin'
If you could see my thoughts you would see our faces
Safe in my rental, like an armored truck back then
We didn't give a fuck back then
I ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
We'd drive to Syd's, had the X6 back then
Back then
No matter what I did
My waves wouldn't dip back then
Everythin' sucked back then
We were friends
I thought that I was dreamin' when you said you love me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you comin'
The start of nothin'
Knew I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
But we both know that deep down
The feelin' still deep down is good
In the halls of your hotel
Arm around my shoulder so I could tell
How much I meant to meant it sincere back then
We had time to kill back then
You ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
It's not the same, ivory's illegal
Don't you remember?
I broke your heart last week
You'll probably feel better by the weekend
Still remember, had you goin' crazy
Screamin' my name
The feelin' deep down is good
I thought that I was dreamin' when you said you love me
The start of nothin'
Had no chance to prepare
Couldn't see you comin'
And we started from nothin', ooh
I could hate you now
It's alright to hate me now
We both know that deep down
The feelin' still deep down is good
All the things I didn't mean to say
I didn't mean to do
There were things you didn't need to say
Did you need to? Need to?
I could dream all night
Dream all night
I could dream all night
Dream all night
I've been dreamin', dreamin'
The lyrics to Frank Ocean's song "Ivy" address themes of love, loss, and regret. The opening lines speak to the initial shock of falling in love unexpectedly and without preparation. The lyrics suggest that the relationship between the two individuals began quickly and without either party being fully aware of it. However, as time moves on, the relationship evolves, and the singer becomes more disillusioned. The line "We'll never be those kids again" speaks to the idea that the relationship has changed and can never be the same as it once was.
The second verse of the song highlights the singer's current state of mind. They suggest that they can see through the other person's facade and that they are no longer the carefree individuals they were in the past. The lyrics suggest that the singer has grown up and moved on, while the other person has not. The final lines of the song are cryptic, with the singer stating that they have been "dreaming" and that they could "dream all night." It's unclear exactly what this means, but it highlights the complex emotions of the singer and their struggle to let go of the past.
Overall, "Ivy" is a powerful song that addresses themes of love, loss, and change. The lyrics suggest that relationships can change quickly and unexpectedly, and that we never know what's coming next. It's a poignant and moving meditation on the nature of love and the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought that I was dreamin' when you said you love me
I couldn't believe it when you expressed your love to me
The start of nothin'
Our relationship started off with nothing, no expectations or history
I had no chance to prepare
I wasn't ready for the expression of your love
I couldn't see you comin'
Your emotions and love caught me off guard
Knew I could hate you now
I could react negatively to your expression of love
It's quite alright to hate me now
It's okay if you have negative feelings towards me
When we both know that deep down
The feelin' still deep down is good
Despite any negative feelings, we both know we have positive emotions for each other
If I could see through walls, I could see you're fakin'
I know you're not being completely honest or genuine with me
If you could see my thoughts you would see our faces
If you could read my mind, you would see that I'm constantly thinking about us
Safe in my rental, like an armored truck back then
I felt protected and secure in my rented car
We didn't give a fuck back then
We were carefree and didn't worry about anything
I ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
I'm not as naive or innocent as I used to be, and we can't go back to our past selves
We'd drive to Syd's, had the X6 back then
Back then
We used to drive to Syd's place and had a BMW X6
No matter what I did
My waves wouldn't dip back then
Everythin' sucked back then
We were friends
Despite any difficulties or challenges, we remained friends and held onto our positive emotions for each other
In the halls of your hotel
Arm around my shoulder so I could tell
How much I meant to meant it sincere back then
In the hallway of your hotel, you expressed your genuine affection for me
We had time to kill back then
You ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
We had a lot of free time back then, but we can never go back to our youthful state
It's not the same, ivory's illegal
Don't you remember?
Things have changed and certain things that were once okay are now illegal
I broke your heart last week
You'll probably feel better by the weekend
I hurt you recently, but you'll likely recover from it soon
Still remember, had you goin' crazy
Screamin' my name
The feelin' deep down is good
I still remember the times we were extremely passionate about each other, and our positive emotions still exist
All the things I didn't mean to say
I didn't mean to do
There were things you didn't need to say
Did you need to? Need to?
We both regret certain things we said and did, and wonder if they were necessary
I could dream all night
Dream all night
I could dream all night
Dream all night
I've been dreamin', dreamin'
I have thoughts and dreams about our relationship constantly
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: James Ryan Wuihun Ho, Ommas Keith-Graham, Rostam Batamaglij, Charles Christopher Breaux, Jamie Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bkxrecords
this had to be done :) <3
lyrics
I thought that I was dreaming when you said you love me
The start of nothing
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you coming
The start of nothing
I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
When we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
If I could see through walls, I could see you're faking
If you could see my thoughts you would see our faces
Safe in my rental like an armored truck back then
We didn't give a fuck back then
I ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
We'd drive to Syd's, had the X6 back then
Back then
No matter what I did
My waves wouldn't dip back then
Everything sucked back then
We were friends
I thought that I was dreaming when you said you love me
The start of nothing
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you coming
The start of nothing
I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
When we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
In the halls of your hotel
Arm around my shoulder so I could tell
How much I meant to meant it sincere back then
We had time to kill back then
You ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
It's not the same, ivory's illegal
Don't you remember?
I broke your heart last week
You'll probably feel better by the weekend
Still remember, had you going crazy
Scream my name
The feeling deep down is good
I thought that I was dreaming when you said you love me
The start of nothing
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you coming
And we started from nothing
I could hate you now
It's alright to hate me now
When we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
All the things I didn't mean to say
I didn't mean to do
There were things you didn't need to say
You didn't need to need to
I could dream all night
Dream all night
I could drive all night
Drive all night
Dreaming, dream on
@nicosalazar4550
Lyrics Frank Ocean - Ivy
I thought that I was dreamin'
When you said you love me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you comin'
The start of nothin'
I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
When we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
If I could see through walls
I could see you're faking
If you could see my thoughts
You would see our faces
Safe in my rental like an armored truck back then
We didn't give a fuck back then
I ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
We'd drive to Syd's, had the X6 back then
Back then
No matter what I did
My waves wouldn't dip back then
Everything sucked back then
We were friends
I thought that I was dreaming
When you said you loved me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you comin'
The start of nothin' (Ooh, ooh)
I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
But we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
In the halls of your hotel
Arm around my shoulder so I could tell
How much I meant to you, meant it sincere back then
We had time to kill back then
You ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
It's not the same, ivory's illegal
Don't you remember?
I broke your heart last week
You'll probably feel better by the weekend
Still remember, had you going crazy
Screamin' my name
The feeling deep down is good
I thought that I was dreaming
When you said you loved me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
Couldn't see you coming
And we started from nothin'
I could hate you now
It's alright to hate me now
We both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
All the things I didn't mean to say
I didn't mean to do
There were things you didn't need to say
Did you mean to? Mean to
I've been dreamin' of you, dreamin' of you
I've been dreamin' of you, dreamin' of you
I've been dreamin', dreaming
@aymanamahda
I thought that I was dreamin'
When you said you love me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you comin'
The start of nothin'
I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
When we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
If I could see through walls
I could see you're faking
If you could see my thoughts
You would see our faces
Safe in my rental like an armored truck back then
We didn't give a fuck back then
I ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
We'd drive to Syd's, had the X6 back then
Back then
No matter what I did
My waves wouldn't dip back then
Everything sucked back then
We were friends
I thought that I was dreaming
When you said you loved me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
I couldn't see you comin'
The start of nothin' (Ooh, ooh)
I could hate you now
It's quite alright to hate me now
But we both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
In the halls of your hotel
Arm around my shoulder so I could tell
How much I meant to you, meant it sincere back then
We had time to kill back then
You ain't a kid no more
We'll never be those kids again
It's not the same, ivory's illegal
Don't you remember?
I broke your heart last week
You'll probably feel better by the weekend
Still remember, had you going crazy
Screamin' my name
The feeling deep down is good
I thought that I was dreaming
When you said you loved me
The start of nothin'
I had no chance to prepare
Couldn't see you coming
And we started from nothin'
I could hate you now
It's alright to hate me now
We both know that deep down
The feeling still deep down is good
All the things I didn't mean to say
I didn't mean to do
There were things you didn't need to say
Did you mean to? Mean to
I've been dreamin' of you, dreamin' of you
I've been dreamin' of you, dreamin' of you
I've been dreamin', dreaming
@mister0443
I love reading these comments. Its like we all going through the same shit
@patriotsfan_x6775
😂😂
@oliviastrong5798
frl tho
@mathieublinn2416
I want her but she doesn’t want me😩😖😭
@mthermon7439
Franks music wack
@memo-oc7iq
Yeah bro...💔
@Mia-kh9fl
Crying to this is the most intense shit ever
@sneha2395
I do it without no reason bruh
@shamiyamorrison1097
@@sneha2395 BRO DEADASS THO..
@SuperThickVegan
Same