Pure
Gary Numan Lyrics
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I want to feel you pull away
I want to feel you realize
That I am not love come to play
I want to feel your pink clean skin
I want to feel your purity
I want to feel you touch my pain
[Chorus]
Hey, bitch, this is what you are
Purified, sanctified, sacrificed
Hey, bitch, this is what you are
Purified, sanctified, sacrificed
This is what you are
I want to feel your innocence
I want to hear you beg for 'Him'
I want to be your animal
I want to be your only sin
I want to tear your dreams away
And show you hopes last sanctuary
I want to dip your wings in blood
And watch an angel bleed for me
[Chorus]
In "Pure," Gary Numan delves into themes of dominance and submission, exploring the idea of wanting to possess someone completely both physically and mentally. In the first verse, Numan expresses his desire to feel his partner hesitate and pull away in order to establish his power over her. He wants her to realize that he is not someone who has come to play around with her emotions and that his intentions are serious. In the second verse, Numan's lyrics become more violent as he describes wanting to "drown in [his partner's] misery" and "tear [her] dreams away." He wants to be her only sin and to have complete control over her will.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the phrase "hey, bitch, this is what you are" followed by a list of adjectives: "purified, sanctified, sacrificed." This can be interpreted as Numan putting himself in the role of a dominant figure who sees his partner as nothing more than an obedient object. He is the one who chooses to sanctify her, to purify her, and to sacrifice her. By calling her a "bitch," Numan demonstrates his contempt for his partner and reinforces his power over her.
Overall, "Pure" is a powerful exploration of the darker aspects of human sexuality and the urge to dominate and control others.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to feel you hesitate
I desire to experience your reluctance, your uncertainty.
I want to feel you pull away
I crave to sense you resisting, to feel you distancing from me.
I want to feel you realize
I yearn for you to comprehend that I am not here to love or cherish you.
That I am not love come to play
I am not love coming to play with you, but something else entirely.
I want to feel your pink clean skin
I covet the sensation of touching your flawless skin, of feeling your immaculacy.
I want to feel your purity
I desire to perceive your virtue, your incorruptibility.
I want to feel you touch my pain
I aspire to sense you caressing my agony, my distress.
I want to drown in your misery
I long to immerse myself in your wretchedness, your sorrow.
Hey, bitch, this is what you are
I am addressing you, but not in a respectful or tender way.
Purified, sanctified, sacrificed
I am defining you with three words that imply a particular kind of purification, sanctification and sacrifice.
This is what you are
I am emphasizing that these are the only traits you possess, and nothing more.
I want to feel your innocence
I crave to experience your naivety, your unworldliness.
I want to hear you beg for 'Him'
I yearn to hear you plead for salvation, for a savior who can rescue you from me.
I want to be your animal
I desire to be your primal, feral side, the one that unleashes your most basic instincts.
I want to be your only sin
I aspire to be the only transgression that you commit, the only wrongdoing that you indulge in.
I want to tear your dreams away
I long to shatter your hopes, to devastate your aspirations.
And show you hopes last sanctuary
I want to prove to you that your hopes and your belief in something greater are nothing but an illusion.
I want to dip your wings in blood
I desire to taint your virtue, your serenity, with violence and bloodshed.
And watch an angel bleed for me
I yearn to witness your suffering, your agony, as you bleed for me, as you become my victim.
Hey, bitch, this is what you are
I am reiterating my contemptuous and disrespectful tone towards you, and emphasizing what you really are.
Purified, sanctified, sacrificed
I am repeating the three crucial words that define you in my eyes.
This is what you are
I am reiterating that there is nothing beyond these qualities that define you in my eyes.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind