In Martha Reeves & The Vandellas's hit song "Nowhere To Run," the narrator sings about being trapped in a tumultuous romance. The opening lines of the chorus, "Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide / Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide," suggest a sense of desperation and a feeling of being caged in. The lyrics continue to describe the narrator's struggle to escape the heartbreak that they know will come. Though they recognize that their partner is no good for them, they can't seem to shake them off, and they've become a part of them. Everywhere they go, they see their partner's face, and every step they take, their partner is there. The narrator is constantly haunted by their lover, and they can't seem to find a way out.

The second half of the song's lyrics continue with the same theme of entrapment. Each night when the narrator sleeps, their partner crawls into their heart. Even when they wake up, they can't seem to shake off their partner's memories: "When I look in the mirror to comb my hair / I see your face just a smiling there." The lyrics suggest that the narrator is emotionally attached to their partner, even though they know it's not good for them. The song suggests that the narrator is in a bind, unable to escape the clutches of their lover, and is resigned to the fact that they may never be free from them.