"Earth" features nothing but Heap's voice in the fore and backgrounds. She … Read Full Bio ↴"Earth" features nothing but Heap's voice in the fore and backgrounds. She told Electronic Musician (Source Earth Songfacts) : “I could have gone the route of really processing the vocals to make them not sound like vocals, but I just thought that defeats the object. I spent quite a bit of time trying to get the best sound out of my voice. And I spent ages editing them together. There's over 100 tracks of vocals on it, and it was absolutely completely doing my head in, just hearing the sound of my own voice for, like, three weeks nonstop. But I really had this vision, what I wanted it to be. It was really good fun to write that one."

Earth
Imogen Heap Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work

Are you with me?
Are you with me?
Are you with me?

You're not golden
And I'm getting tired
Act like you own the place
When really you've only just arrived

I caught first glimmers
In hides and skins
Look who's all grown up
Black swanning about the solar winds

You're gonna lose it all
And find yourself on your knees
So, get a grip and you might
Flow, reverse the great, slow bleed

I've tried patience, but
You always want a war
This house won't tolerate any more
Stop this right away

Put that down and clean this mess up
End of conversation
Put your back in it and
Make it up to me now

The cold shoulder
Folded arms and looking up
You've never listened
And carry on careless, regardless

This is not a fire drill and
If we hold any hope
It's harmonic connection
And stereos in symbiosis

These lego land empires
Choking out mine now
You're everywhere, everywhere
Multiplying around me, child

A strain on my heart
This rock can't tolerate any more
Stop this right away

Put that down and clean this mess up
End of conversation
Put your back in it and
Make it up to me now

[Repeat: x8]
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work
Baby, behave, we'll make it work

(Baby, do you love me?)

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh, oh (yeah)
Whoa, oh, oh, oh

You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
Back
Stop this right away

(Baby, behave, we'll make it work)
Put that down and clean this mess up
End of conversation
Put your back in it and
Make it up to me now

Stop this right away
Put that down and clean this mess up
End of conversation
Put your back in it and
And make it up to me now

Are you with me?
Are you with me?
Are you with me?

You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
You're only what you give back
Back

(You're not golden
And I'm getting tired

Act like you own the place
When really you've only just arrived)

Overall Meaning

The song "Earth" by Imogen Heap is a powerful representation of a relationship that has been struggling. The repeating line "Baby, behave, we'll make it work" shows the desperation that one person in the relationship has to make things work, but the rest of the lyrics reveal the dysfunction and toxicity of the dynamic. The persona is frustrated by their partner's behavior, feeling that they act entitled and don't listen to their needs. The persona implores them to take responsibility for their actions and work towards harmony before it's too late. Throughout the song, the persona asserts their own boundaries and refuses to tolerate any more harmful behavior.

The lyric "You're only what you give back" is the theme of the song, reflecting that relationships can only thrive when both parties put in the effort to understand and support each other. It's a poignant reminder that love isn't just about what someone can provide, but about how they show up for the other person.

Overall, "Earth" is a song about taking responsibility and putting in the work to make a relationship function, even when it seems like it's on the brink of collapse.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby, behave, we'll make it work
We need to behave and work together to make this relationship work

Are you with me?
Are you supporting me and working with me?

You're not golden
You're not perfect

And I'm getting tired
I am becoming exhausted with the situation

Act like you own the place
You are acting overly confident and bossy

When really you've only just arrived
You are new here, so you need to slow down and listen to others

I caught first glimmers
I first saw potential in you when you were more innocent and open

In hides and skins
In the past, when humans wore hides and skins

Look who's all grown up
You have matured and changed

Black swanning about the solar winds
You are moving about quickly on your own, without direction or guidance

You're gonna lose it all
You will lose everything you have if you keep this up

And find yourself on your knees
You will be forced to humble yourself

So, get a grip and you might
You need to take control of yourself and you may be successful

Flow, reverse the great, slow bleed
You need to stop the negative cycle and make positive changes

I've tried patience, but
I have been patient, but...

You always want a war
...you always seem to want an argument or conflict

This house won't tolerate any more
This relationship can not take any more fighting or drama

Stop this right away
We need to stop fighting

Put that down and clean this mess up
You need to stop what you're doing and fix the situation

End of conversation
We will not discuss this further

Put your back in it and
You need to put in more effort

Make it up to me now
You need to make it better and show you care

The cold shoulder
Ignoring and not talking to each other

Folded arms and looking up
Defensive and unapproachable body language

You've never listened
You don't listen to me

And carry on careless, regardless
You continue acting without thought or care for others

This is not a fire drill and
This is not a test or drill, this is real

If we hold any hope
We have a small chance

It's harmonic connection
It depends on us being in harmony and working together

And stereos in symbiosis
Our relationship being a positive and productive partnership

These lego land empires
These man-made empires

Choking out mine now
Causing harm or damage to what I have

You're everywhere, everywhere
You are involved in everything, and it's impacting me

Multiplying around me, child
Your influence or impact on me is growing

A strain on my heart
It's causing me emotional pain and distress

This rock can't tolerate any more
This relationship can not take any more fighting or drama

You're only what you give back
You are only worth what you put in

Back

Stop this right away
We need to stop fighting

And make it up to me now
You need to make it better and show you care

Baby, do you love me?
Do you truly love me?

Whoa, oh, oh, oh

You're only what you give back
You are only worth what you put in

Put that down and clean this mess up
You need to stop what you're doing and fix the situation

End of conversation
We will not discuss this further

Put your back in it and
You need to put in more effort

And make it up to me now
You need to make it better and show you care

Are you with me?
Are you supporting me and working with me?

You're only what you give back
You are only worth what you put in

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER JANE HEAP

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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