Scar
Missy Higgins Lyrics
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That said "use these down to your bones"
And before I knew I had shiny skin and it felt easy being clean like him
I thought "this one knows better than I do"
A triangle trying to squeeze through a circle
He tried to cut me so I'd fit
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could've gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
So the next one came with a bag of treats, she smelled like sugar and
spoke like the sea
And she told me don't trust them, trust me
Then she pulled at my stitches one by one, looked at my insides clicking
her tongue and said
"This will all have to come undone"
A triangle trying to squeeze through a circle
She tried to cut me so I'd fit
And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could have gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
And I realized just in time, although my old self was hard to find
You can bathe me in your finest wine but I'll never give you mine
'cause I'm a little bit tired of fearing that I'll be the bad fruit nobody buys
Tell me, did you think we'd all dream the same?
And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could have gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
Could you leave me with a scar?
The song "Scar" by Missy Higgins tells a story about two failed relationships in the past through vivid imagery and metaphorical language. In the first verse, the singer describes a former partner who left behind a bar of soap, a scrubbing brush, and a note that instructed the singer to use these items "down to your bones." As a result, the singer finds herself with shiny skin and an easy feeling of cleanliness. The singer admits that this person seemed to know better than she did, indicating a power dynamic within the relationship.
The second verse introduces a new partner who gives the singer a bag of treats and tells her to trust only her. This partner proceeds to pull out the singer's stitches and tell her that everything will have to come undone. The triangle and circle metaphor suggests that both partners were trying to force the singer to fit a specific mold, resulting in emotional harm.
The chorus repeats the same set of questions, asking if the listener can relate to the pain of feeling restricted and limited by others. The last lines of the song, "Could you leave me with a scar? Could you leave me with a scar?" suggest that the singer is asking for some form of evidence of the experiences she has had, acknowledging that these relationships have impacted her deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
He left a card, a bar of soap and a scrubbing brush next to a note
He gave me tools to clean up my act.
That said "use these down to your bones"
He wanted me to get as clean as possible, inside and out.
And before I knew I had shiny skin and it felt easy being clean like him
He made it look so easy and I wanted to be just like him.
I thought "this one knows better than I do"
I trusted him more than I trusted myself.
A triangle trying to squeeze through a circle
Someone who doesn't fit in and is trying to force themselves into a certain mold.
He tried to cut me so I'd fit
He wanted me to change in order to fit his ideal image of me.
And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
This pattern of manipulation is all too common.
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could've gone?
It's scary to think of what could have happened if I had continued down that path.
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
It's unsettling how so many people are willing to manipulate and be manipulated.
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
I want to remember this experience and not let it happen again.
Could you leave me with a scar?
I want something to remember this by, to remind me to never let someone else change me.
So the next one came with a bag of treats, she smelled like sugar and spoke like the sea
Someone new came along who seemed sweet and alluring.
And she told me don't trust them, trust me
She wanted me to trust only her, not anyone else.
Then she pulled at my stitches one by one, looked at my insides clicking her tongue and said
She wanted to pick apart everything that made me who I am and make me into someone else entirely.
"This will all have to come undone"
She wanted to undo everything that was me and create something entirely new.
And I realized just in time, although my old self was hard to find
I realized that I was losing who I was in the process.
You can bathe me in your finest wine but I'll never give you mine
I won't let others consume me or control me, no matter how tempting it may be.
'cause I'm a little bit tired of fearing that I'll be the bad fruit nobody buys
I'm tired of worrying that I won't be wanted or accepted if I don't change myself to fit someone else's expectations.
Tell me, did you think we'd all dream the same?
Do you really believe that everyone should be exactly alike, with no individuality or differences?
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELISSA HIGGINS, KEVIN GRIFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@melinda2615
He left a card, a bar of soap and a scrubbing brush next to a note
That said "use these down to your bones"
And before I knew I had shiny skin and it felt easy being clean like him
I thought "this one knows better than I do"
A triangle trying to squeeze through a circle
He tried to cut me so I'd fit
And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could've gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
So the next one came with a bag of treats, she smelled like sugar and
spoke like the sea
And she told me don't trust them, trust me
Then she pulled at my stitches one by one, looked at my insides clicking
her tongue and said
"This will all have to come undone"
A triangle trying to squeeze through a circle
She tried to cut me so I'd fit
And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could have gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
And I realized just in time, although my old self was hard to find
You can bathe me in your finest wine but I'll never give you mine
''cause I'm a little bit tired of fearing that I'll be the bad fruit nobody buys
Tell me, did you think we'd all dream the same?
And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could have gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
Could you leave me with a scar?
@Paperbagman555
What a throwback - this song has aged so well. I can't think of many Aussie artists brave enough to sing with the accent but she did it brilliantly here. Loved this tune as a kid, only now paying attention to the lyrics and they are awfully relatable.
@dieter1215
kassey chambers
?
@sixanddone9621
She is even better live 😍😍😍
@thefacelessmen2101
Missy Higgins is Australia's K.D. Lang...
@nyngan3004
Taija Withford nah
@lua5462
Honestly i never realised she sung with an accent when i used to listen to the song and its so true about the lyrics. I used to sing it on singstar hahaha i think we still have a ps2 with the dvds
@GraeHall
The first Aussie vocalist I heard who dared to sing in an accent even anywhere close to Australian. She made a brave choice, and she frikkin' nailed it. I saw her at Falls in the morning in a tent, before she made it big, and she was amazing. It's no surprise she exploded.
@sarahskelsey7537
She's British lmao
@blastcover8665
@Sarah Skelsey Google?
@Rhodiac
@Sarah Skelsey she aussie