“It started off with me just being frustrated with having people make me feel like I needed to be ashamed of feeling. It's kind of like, enjoying this single life, dating world. As soon as you feel it’s like, ‘Oh gosh. You can’t feel. How dare you?’ And I was like, ‘Wow. That’s really messed up.’ And I wanted to write a song about that because if you listen to the lyrics verbatim, it’s exactly how I feel. I over-communicate, I feel too much. That’s who I am. Why can’t I just be myself, and why do I have to be ashamed of that?”
- Hayley Kiyoko in an interview with Billboard magazine
Feelings
Hayley Kiyoko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I walk through this world, just tryna be nice
They say I'll get hurt, if I'm not like ice
I know I've got friends, I still get so lonely
If I look in your eyes, I'll want you to hold me
I'm sorry that I care, care
It's really not that fair, fair
I can't help but care
I over-communicate and feel too much
I just complicate it when I say too much
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
Spent the night, you got me high
Oh, what did you do?
I'm hooked on all these feelings
Caught up inside, both happy and lonely
Keep telling me lies, they're killing me slowly
I get too attached, they don't even know me
Why can't I relax? Why can't I relax?
I'm sorry that I care, care
I'm sorry that I care, care
It's really not that fair, fair
I can't help but care
I over-communicate and feel too much
I just complicate it when I say too much
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
Spent the night, you got me high
Oh, what did you do?
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
I'm sorry that I care, care
It's really not that fair
I over-communicate and feel too much
I just complicate it when I say too much
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
Spent the night, you got me high
Oh, what did you do?
I'm hooked on all these feelings
Hayley Kiyoko’s song “Feelings” is about the confusion and vulnerability that comes with falling in love. The lyrics describe the struggle of trying to maintain emotional distance in order to protect oneself from getting hurt, yet at the same time, being unable to resist the powerful allure of intimacy and connection. The line “I’m sorry that I care, care” encapsulates the fear of being judged or ridiculed for having emotions in a society that often celebrates stoicism and detachment.
Throughout the song, Hayley also acknowledges her tendency to be overly expressive and to “over-communicate and feel too much”. This could be interpreted as a reference to her own artistry and the fact that her music often explores her deeply personal experiences with love and relationships. Despite this tendency, Hayley persists and expresses her desire for a deeper connection, as evidenced by the line “Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough”. Ultimately, the song explores the complexity of human emotion and the difficulties of navigating love, all while accepting the inherent risks that come with vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk through this world, just tryna be nice
I maneuver through life trying to be kind to others
They say I'll get hurt, if I'm not like ice
Others advise me to be emotionless to avoid being hurt
I know I've got friends, I still get so lonely
Despite having friends, I still feel isolated and alone
If I look in your eyes, I'll want you to hold me
When I make eye contact with someone, it makes me crave physical closeness and comfort
I'm sorry that I care, care
I apologize for feeling emotions deeply
It's really not that fair, fair
It doesn't seem right that I should have to apologize for caring
I can't help but care
Despite apologies, I cannot control how much I feel
I over-communicate and feel too much
I tend to talk about my emotions excessively and feel them intensely
I just complicate it when I say too much
Sometimes expressing my emotions just makes things more complex
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
I try to make light of my emotions, but still crave affection and closeness
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
Sexual desire can be overwhelming and I'm tired of pretending to be tough and unfeeling
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I am addicted to feeling emotions deeply
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
When in love, it can feel like a sanctuary with only you and your partner
Spent the night, you got me high, Oh, what did you do?
After spending a night with someone I am infatuated with, I am left wanting more and wondering what they did to make me feel so good
Caught up inside, both happy and lonely
I am stuck in a paradox of being happy with my emotions, but still feeling lonely and misunderstood
Keep telling me lies, they're killing me slowly
Others telling me to suppress my emotions is slowly hurting me mentally and emotionally
I get too attached, they don't even know me
I tend to become too emotionally invested in others, even when they don't know me well
Why can't I relax? Why can't I relax?
Despite efforts, I struggle to calm my feelings and anxieties
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
I am in tune with my emotions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft, Kat Ostenberg, Nick Bailey, Jonathan Dorr, Brandon Skeie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chickenpermission9062
Hayley: steps out of car and starts dancing
Her friend: "What are you doing?"
Hayley: "I've seen a pretty girl and I'm dancing for her"
Friend: "Oh carry on"
Hayley: starts dancing again
@thebaes9835
Feelings
I walk through this world, just tryna be nice
They say I'll get hurt, if I'm not like ice
I know I've got friends, I still get so lonely
If I look in your eyes, I'll want you to hold me
I'm sorry that I care, care
I'm sorry that I care, care
It's really not that fair, fair
I can't help but care
I over-communicate and feel too much
I just complicate it when I say too much
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
Spent the night, you got me high
Oh, what did you do?
I'm hooked on all these feelings
Caught up inside, both happy and lonely
Keep telling me lies, they're killing me slowly
I get too attached, they don't even know me
Why can't I relax? Why can't I relax?
I'm sorry that I care, care
I'm sorry that I care, care
It's really not that fair, fair
I can't help but care
I over-communicate and feel too much
I just complicate it when I say too much
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
Spent the night, you got me high
Oh, what did you do?
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
I'm sorry that I care, care
It's really not that fair
I over-communicate and feel too much
I just complicate it when I say too much
I laugh about it, dream about that casual touch
Sex is fire, sick and tired of acting all tough
I'm hooked on all these feelings
I know exactly what I'm feelin'
This love asylum, like an island, just me and you
Spent the night, you got me high
Oh, what did you do?
I'm hooked on all these feelings
@codaakawie2690
I love how Hayley doesn't make her songs gay. They're normal songs, and the videos just so happen to be girl on girl. I wish that society was like this. It denormilizes us LGBT+ and makes us stick out. But Hayley doesn't do that. She features us as apart of the norm and that is just so powerful. A world in which we don't have to fight for our rights, when it wasn't stated that they weren't even there in the fist place. A world where everyone is free.
@marianasa00
Mercy Akawie Check out Wasted Youth by FLETCHER if you like these kind of natural organic LGBT videos. It's such a natural video and song about falling in love and making the best of that moment, it just happens to be a gay couple. You won't regret, trust me.
@AG-qy3su
Mercy Akawie there are songs of hers that mention her sexuality directly. Like Girls like Girls, Pretty Girl and Ease My Mind where it's pretty obvious she's singing about a female.
@otakuxtayswiftfan
I think it's important though to actually have gay lyrics, dont you think that normalises us even more? And represents us more?
@jessicahill1109
There is value in both. I love the songs with gay lyrics - but love this too! Gay lyrics can be organic too by the way, just using pronouns make it clear without being any different to a "normal song" except the gender pronouns aren't straight. Considering how many explicitly straight songs get to be "normal songs" I want my gay lyrics 😉
@bc-xl4hj
Mariana new favorite song now thank youuu
@SB-du9if
I am a straight man who is sick of all the homophobes in the world who criticize gay men or women and this young lady is doing a lot to hopefully break down those barriers. Listened to a number of her songs and they have a lot of feeling of love in them. Keep it up Hayley
@alexis_daydream333
I'm a lesbian and I appreciate it! You're awesome :)
@hi-meraki
you're an amazing person dude <3
@bethanyedm2040
We need more like you <3 <3 <3