“The Lamb was written during a time of intense paranoia after a home invasion, deaths of loved ones and general violence around me and my friends,” says West. “I began to frequently and vividly imagine the end of the world, eventually becoming too frightened to leave my house. This led me to spend a lot of time examining my relationships and the choices I’d made, often wondering if they were correct and/or kind.”
As a teenager, West moved with her family from London to Los Angeles and later to Chicago, where she enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Inspired by those cities’ DIY music communities, she started Lala Lala as an outlet where she could process her new experiences, which often involved toxic relationships and partying around the city with beloved friends. The turbulence in West’s life throughout that period resulted in an abrasive but tender debut album, Sleepyhead (self-released, 2016). West decided to quit drinking, and she began booking her own DIY tours across the country. Sobriety provided her with a newfound sense of self and clarity, and she began writing the songs for The Lamb while also starting the process of re-learning how to live her life.
West released "I Want the Door to Open" in 2021.
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Exorcism
Lala Lala Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me, hurt me every day
Wishin, wishin, wishin, wishin, I wish you away
I am, I was, I once, I was, I'll be okay
Thought you were a tattoo on my tongue
I held you close to me
Too bad you're just poison in my blood
Thought you were a tattoo on my tongue
I held you close to me
Too bad you're just poison in my blood
I'll lose ya then I'm free
Take it, take it, take it, take it
Take it away
Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me, hurt me
You hurt me every day
Wishin, wishin, wishin, wishin
I wish you away
I am, I am
I once, I was, I'll be okay
Thought you were a tattoo on my tongue
I held you close to me
Too bad you're just poison in my blood
A soon passing defeat
Thought you were a tattoo on my tongue
I held you close to me
Too bad you're just poison in my blood
I'll lose ya then I'm free
Lala Lala's "Exorcism" is a song that poignantly captures the struggle of detaching oneself from a toxic relationship. The repeated chants of "take it away/hurt me/wishin, wishin, wishin, wishin" indicate the desire to remove the emotional pain that comes with a harmful partnership. The singer is delusional, viewing the harmful lover as a "tattoo on [her] tongue" but comes to realize that the relationship is more like "poison in [her] blood."
The song also explores the idea of freedom and release, emphasizing that letting go of a toxic lover will ultimately lead to freedom. The last few lines of the song, "I'll lose ya then I'm free," indicate acceptance and a willingness to move forward. Although the journey may have been painful, the singer is now looking forward to a brighter future.
Overall, "Exorcism" is a powerful song that captures the emotional struggle of leaving a toxic relationship, ultimately leading to hope and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Take it, take it, take it, take it, take it, take it away
The singer wants to be rid of something, and instructs the listener to take it away.
Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me, hurt me every day
The listener is causing the singer emotional pain on a consistent basis.
Wishin, wishin, wishin, wishin, I wish you away
The singer desires for the listener to be gone, and is wishing for them to disappear.
I am, I was, I once, I was, I'll be okay
The artist has experienced change and fluctuation in their life, but believes they will ultimately be alright.
Thought you were a tattoo on my tongue
The artist initially thought the listener was a permanent and positive fixture in their life.
I held you close to me
The listener was once an important and intimate part of the singer's life.
Too bad you're just poison in my blood
The listener is actually harmful and toxic to the singer.
A soon passing defeat
The toxic influence of the listener will not last long, and will ultimately be overcome by the artist.
I'll lose ya then I'm free
The artist believes that once the listener is gone, they will be able to move on and find freedom and release.
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.