Reflector
Kid Brother Collective Lyrics

The lyrics to Kid Brother Collective's song "Reflector" express the pain of feeling alone and misunderstood. The opening lines "withering the everything in you, whatever makes you happy, shame looks good on you" suggest that something has changed in the persona's relationship with the addressee. The adjectives 'withering' and 'shameful' evoke a sense of disappointment and disdain, and juxtaposed with the phrase "whatever makes you happy," suggests that the changes are causing this pain. The second verse "the blame is still; I know, baby's gone to pay. Coming back tomorrow; what am I supposed to say?" adds to this sense of frustration and powerlessness. The persona is anxious about the return of the addressee, knowing they will have to confront the changes in their relationship, but unsure of how to bridge the communication gap. The repeated line "Do you know how I feel? Everybody seems to understand; everybody but you" emphasizes the sense of isolation and loneliness that the persona experiences, even as they see others recognize and empathize with their pain.

The middle section "I punch your code but I'm empty on the line, nothing new to tell you; nothing I might find" further reinforces this idea of being cut off from the addressee. The imagery of the "line" evokes a sense of technological connectivity that is ultimately fruitless. The final verse "and I'm the one to blame for all my past mistakes, given like a virus and taken from this place. But I don't know who to tell, I don't know who to blame" brings the song to a close with a sense of self-blame and resignation. The persona recognizes that they have made mistakes in the past and that these are coming back to haunt them now. However, the repetitive use of "I don't know" suggests a deeper sense of paralysis- the persona is unable to identify the root cause of the problems in their relationship, and is therefore unsure of how to fix them.