Elephant
Marianne Sveen Lyrics
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Dumped, trashed, tossed
Your palisades
My retrograde
You owe me a lot
You owe me everything
But your smothering is killing me
Your lust, my life
Forever fortified
No climbing the palisades
Keeping me from my hiding place
Were you not supposed to be
The safest hiding place for me
On noahs ark, a matriarch
To keep me unscathed in the dark
All I want is an elephant
To climb up on and trample my way out
Oh mama, Oh mama
Please make them stop
Were you not supposed to?
One tear in the lampshade
Cast an elephant on the palisades
On noahs ark, a matriarch
To keep me unscathed in the dark
All I want is an elephant
To climb up on and trample my way out
Oh mama, Oh mama
Please make them stop
Were you not supposed to?
And never come down again
I'll never come down again
Marianne Sveen's song "Elephant" is a powerful ballad that explores themes of abandonment and betrayal. The lyrics suggest that, at some point in her life, the singer has been dumped, trashed, and tossed aside, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She seeks refuge in what she thought would be her safest hiding place, but even that has now been taken from her.
The "palisades" that are mentioned in the song could be a metaphor for the emotional barriers that the singer has erected around herself. She feels trapped and stifled by the person who owes her so much, perhaps a former lover or a parent, and is beginning to feel like she can never escape.
The elephant mentioned in the song represents a symbol of strength and power. The singer wants to climb up onto the elephant's back and trample her way out of her situation. She calls out to her "mama" for help, in a desperate plea for someone to make it all stop. In the end, she vows to never come down again, perhaps indicating that she has found the strength to break free from her emotional prison.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby got lost
The person being referred to was abandoned and went missing
Dumped, trashed, tossed
The person was deserted and left to fend for themselves
Your palisades
A barrier that prevents the person from leaving and finding a way out
My retrograde
The person is moving backwards and unable to progress due to this barrier
You owe me a lot
The person who left the artist is responsible for their current situation
You owe me everything
The person who left the singer is completely responsible for their current situation
But your smothering is killing me
The constant presence of the person who left is becoming unbearable and detrimental to the singer's well-being
Your lust, my life
The obsession of the person who left is taking a toll on the artist's livelihood
Forever fortified
The barrier set up by the person who left is permanent and unbreakable
No climbing the palisades
The artist is unable to escape due to the barrier set up by the person who left
Keeping me from my hiding place
The barrier is preventing the singer from finding a place to feel safe and protected
Were you not supposed to be
The person who left was supposed to be a source of comfort and protection
The safest hiding place for me
The person who left was supposed to provide a sense of security and protection for the singer
On noahs ark, a matriarch
Metaphor for the person who left being responsible for the singer's safety and security
To keep me unscathed in the dark
The person who left was supposed to keep the singer from harm when things got tough
All I want is an elephant
The artist wishes for something large and powerful that can help them break through the barrier that has been set up
To climb up on and trample my way out
The artist wants to use this powerful creature to escape their current situation
Oh mama, Oh mama
The singer is calling out for help and support
Please make them stop
The singer wants the person who left to stop causing harm and distress
One tear in the lampshade
A symbol of something small that has caused a much larger problem
Cast an elephant on the palisades
The problem that was caused is now represented by the image of a powerful creature pushing against the barrier set up by the person who left
And never come down again
The artist wants to escape their current situation completely and permanently, never to return
I'll never come down again
The singer is determined to find a way out and never go back to the way things were before
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Marianne Sveen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind