The lyric: "You sent a text. It's like the wind changed your mind" references how Russell Brand coldly delivered the news he wanted a divorce.
This is one of several tracks on Prism that were inspired by the breakdown of Perry's marriage to Russell Brand. When asked by the UK newspaper The Sunday Times how their breakup inspired her new album, the singer replied: "What I wanted to call this record at first was Adult Reality. Teenage Dream was me so high on that cotton-candy cloud, and then it's like I got punched in the face and kicked down the stairs a couple of times."
"I had to face the reality that things are not always on cloud nine," she added. "I was down and out, I'd lost hope, all of my self-confidence had been shattered."
Ghost
Katy Perry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like the wind changed your mind
We were best friends
Yeah, we were burning our lives
With every kiss, and every letter
Every promise of forever, oh
But you hit send
And disappeared in front of my eyes
And now you're just a ghost
When I look back never would have known that
You could be so cold
Like a stranger vanish like a vapor
There's just an echo where your heart used to be
Now I see it clearly
And there's just a pillow where your head used to sleep
My vision's twenty twenty
I see through you now
Something is tight
Now that I have made up my mind
I'll be alright
It doesn't harm me at night
'Cause every gift, every letter, every promise of forever
Now, it's out of sight
Like you were never alive
And now you're just a ghost
When I look back never would have known that
You could be so cold
Like a stranger vanish like a vapor
There's just an echo where your heart used to be
Now I see it clearly
And there's just a pillow where your head used to sleep
My vision's twenty twenty
I see through you now, now, now, now, now
Now, now, now, now, now
So rest in piece
I see you on the other side
And now you're just a ghost
When I look back never would have known that
You could be so cold
Like a stranger vanish like a vapor
There's just an echo where your heart used to be
Now I see it clearly
And there's just a pillow where your head used to sleep
My vision's twenty twenty
I see through you now, now, now, now, now
Oh, now, now, now, now, now
I see through you now, now, now, now, now
Now, now, now, now, now
I see through you now
In this song, Katy Perry expresses the feeling of being betrayed by someone she thought was her best friend or lover. The first verse talks about sending a text and changing their mind, leading to their relationship to change completely. The chorus talks about how this person became a ghost in her life, disappearing completely from her existence. The second verse, on the other hand, describes the pain that comes with the realization that this person was never really true to their words and that everything they promised was just empty words. After coming to terms with the situation, Katy Perry resolves to move on and let go of the pain.
The lyrics in this song are quite symbolic, as they refer to the person who betrayed her as a ghost. Ghosts are often associated with things that are no longer living or things that haunt us—something that Perry's former friend or lover became after disappearing from her life. The lyrics also talk about seeing through this person, suggesting that Perry has gained perspective and can see the truth about their former relationship.
Overall, "Ghost" is a melancholic song about the feelings of betrayal and hurt that arise from a broken relationship. The lyrics communicate a sense of disappointment and sadness, however, they also convey the message of acceptance and the ability to let go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
You send a text
You decided to break up with me via text message.
It's like the wind changed your mind
You changed your mind abruptly like the wind that changes direction without warning.
We were best friends
We had a close and intimate relationship.
Yeah, we were burning our lives
We were living our lives recklessly and passionately.
With every kiss, and every letter
We expressed our love and devotion through every physical and written interaction.
Every promise of forever, oh
Every commitment we made to each other, suggesting that our love would last forever.
But you hit send
But then you sent that message which ended everything between us.
And disappeared in front of my eyes
You vanished out of my life overnight, without any warning or explanation.
And now you're just a ghost
You are now like a ghost, a haunting presence from the past.
When I look back never would have known that
When I look back, I don't understand how I didn't see this coming.
You could be so cold
You could be so heartless and indifferent towards me.
Like a stranger vanish like a vapor
You disappeared from my life like a stranger who was never really there.
There's just an echo where your heart used to be
There's nothing left of the love and affection you once had for me.
Now I see it clearly
Now I understand what was really going on.
And there's just a pillow where your head used to sleep
There's no one sleeping next to me anymore, just an empty pillow.
My vision's twenty twenty
I can see things clearly now, with perfect 20/20 vision.
I see through you now
I can see right through your lies and deception now.
Something is tight
Something inside of me is hurting and feeling tight.
Now that I have made up my mind
Now that I have made the decision to let you go.
I'll be alright
I will be fine eventually.
It doesn't harm me at night
I'm trying to move on and not let this hurt me anymore.
Cause every gift, every letter, every promise of forever
Every expression of love and devotion you once made to me.
Now, it's out of sight
Now it's all gone, as if it never existed at all.
Like you were never alive
Like you were never really here in the first place.
So rest in piece
So goodbye and rest in peace, as if you were dead to me.
I see you on the other side
I acknowledge your presence, even though we're no longer together.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUKASZ GOTTWALD, MAX MARTIN, BONNIE LEIGH MCKEE, KATY PERRY, HENRY RUSSELL WALTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sebastian
on Box
I was trapped in my own thoughts and couldn't escape
I was closed off to the outside world and not receiving any communication
When I took a broader perspective on my life
I was unaware of the passing of time or new beginnings
I had a realization that struck me hard
I realized that not everyone would support my choices
I was uncertain about the future
I had to let my inner desires guide me
It was an exhilarating experience
When you gain new perspective and awareness
As if seeing things for the first time
Unexpected but exciting
I started breaking free from my limited thinking and behavior
Pushing past my previous boundaries and limitations
I refused to conform to the expectations of others
I was always aware that I needed to make a change
When I stopped being passive and found inspiration
I had been living differently than before
I was determined to continue my new way of living no matter what challenges came my way
I had been living with my own weaknesses and flaws
My insecurity and lack of confidence often held me back
I reached a breaking point and needed to take action
I had to let go of my past patterns and habits that kept bringing me down
I realized that others were not supportive of my choices
I couldn't keep conforming to please others
I made a choice to live my life the way I wanted to
I was breaking free from the expectations and constraints of others
I was saying goodbye to following the crowd
I valued being clear about my intentions and goals
It only requires a small effort
I needed to identify my true desires and separate them from the influence of others
I was more deliberate with my choices and actions
When I removed the barriers that previously held me back
Embracing a new, unconventional way of living
Challenging the status quo and taking risks
John P Winder
on Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J)
Dark Horse ...