Nicholas Hartkop’s writing focuses often on his struggles with addiction and mental illness and takes great musical inspiration from the band The Front Bottoms, as Hartkop himself states in multiple songs. Nick Hartkop is open about having bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. The raw lyrics describing Hartkop’s experiences with said personality disorders are defining for McCafferty’s music.
Trees
MCCAFFERTY Lyrics
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Needed some air so I slept on the outside,
Down on the couch with your boyfriend
The smell of his hair and the taste of his lips,
I hide in the closet, but I'm not a faggot,
I need this,
My friends never found out, My mom was a Christian,
My dad is an alchie,
I don't know how God thinks, but God do you love me?
She says I need a certain satisfaction, kind
It's something you could never give to my type,
She says I need a certain satisfaction, kind
It's something you could never give,
Just string me up down by the trees,
I'm such a freak, a fucking fag,
Just string me up down by the trees,
To my, to my, to my,
Just string me up!
Two or three,
Just by my pants,
And I never sneeze
Just string me up!
Just by my pants,
I'm such a freak,
I'm such a freak,
She says I need a certain satisfaction, kind
It's something you could never give to my type,
She said I need a certain satisfaction, kind
It's something you could never give, To my,
To yours,
To my,
To yours,
FUCK!
The song "Trees" by MCCAFFERTY is a dark and intense exploration of sexuality, religion, and self-hatred. The lyrics are focused on a person who is struggling to come to terms with their sexual identity, and who feels isolated and rejected by their community and family. They sleep in their friend's room but feel the need to escape, and end up in the closet with their friend's boyfriend. They describe the attraction they feel to him, and the fear and shame that accompanies it. They express frustration that they cannot find the kind of satisfaction they need with their current partner, and feel like they are a freak who does not fit in.
The repetition of the phrase "just string me up down by the trees" is a haunting continuation of this theme of isolation and self-loathing. It suggests a desire to be punished or even killed for their perceived sins, and a belief that they do not deserve to live or be loved. The lyrics are poignant and raw, and offer a glimpse into the pain and confusion experienced by so many young people who struggle with their sexual identity.
In summary, "Trees" is a complex and emotionally charged song that explores themes of shame, isolation, and self-hatred in the context of sexual identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Slept in your room with your friends on the inside,
I slept in your room with your friends while I was on the outside looking in
Needed some air so I slept on the outside,
I needed some air, so I decided to sleep outside.
Down on the couch with your boyfriend,
I was lying down on the couch with your boyfriend.
The smell of his hair and the taste of his lips,
I was so close to your boyfriend, I could smell his hair and taste his lips.
I hide in the closet, but I'm not a faggot,
I had to hide in a closet, but I'm not homosexual.
I need this,
I needed to be close to your boyfriend to feel alive.
My friends never found out, My mom was a Christian,
My friends and family didn't know about my behavior, especially because my mother was a religious Christian.
My dad is an alchie, I bet that he kills me,
My father is an alcoholic and I think he would disapprove of my actions and might even hurt me because of it.
I don't know how God thinks, but God do you love me?
I don't know how God feels about me, but I hope God loves me regardless of my actions.
She says I need a certain satisfaction, kind
It's something you could never give to my type,
Someone I know told me that I need a specific type of satisfaction that you cannot provide me because of my identity.
Just string me up down by the trees,
I'm such a freak, a fucking fag,
I feel so ashamed of who I am that I'd rather be strung up by trees than face the world as an outcast.
Just string me up! Two or three,
Just by my pants,
And I never sneeze
I'd prefer to be strung up by two or three trees, just by my pants, and I won't even sneeze because of how much shame I feel.
She says I need a certain satisfaction, kind
It's something you could never give to my type,
It's something you could never give,
To my,
To yours,
Someone told me I need a specific kind of satisfaction that neither you nor I can provide to my own or your type of people.
FUCK!
I'm so overwhelmed with emotions that I need to curse as a release.
Contributed by Mia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.