A crack baby is a child that is born addicted to crack, giving the child a disease called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (or NAS), because the mother had an addiction to crack. The baby starts to suffer from withdrawals without ever having had crack, and it starts to want it even though it’d never had it before. Mitski talks about this feeling as her chasing love, and happiness.
Crack Baby
Mitski Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blank open eyes watch the moonflower bloom
It's been a long hard twenty-year summer vacation
All these twenty years trying to fill the void
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Went to your room thinking maybe you'll feel something
But all I saw was your burning body waiting
All these twenty years on a vacation
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you want it
Yeah you know that you want it
You know that you
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you need it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
The lyrics of Mitski's song "Crack Baby" depict the struggles of someone addicted to drugs, specifically crack cocaine. The opening lines describe a scenario of two people wandering the empty streets, high on glue, watching the moonflower bloom with blank, open eyes. The singer then refers to a "twenty-year summer vacation," which is a metaphor for the long, wasted years spent trying to fill the void left by addiction. The recurring line "wild horses running through your hollow bones" emphasizes the intense physical and emotional craving that comes with addiction.
The chorus addresses the titular "Crack Baby," someone who is addicted to the drug but is unable to articulate exactly what they want. The singer knows that the Crack Baby had what they want at some point, and desperately long for that feeling to return. The repetition of "you don't know what you want" adds to the sense of desperation and hopelessness. The second verse continues the theme of longing for something that cannot be attained. The singer goes to the Crack Baby's room hoping to feel something, anything, but instead finds a burning body. The final repetition of "wild horses running through your hollow bones" drives home the point that addiction is a force that takes over the body and mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Down empty streets sniffing glue me and you
Walking through deserted streets while inhaling glue with you.
Blank open eyes watch the moonflower bloom
Watching the moonflower's petals unfold with vacant eyes.
It's been a long hard twenty-year summer vacation
The past twenty years were like a challenging summer break.
All these twenty years trying to fill the void
The last two decades were spent trying to fill the emptiness within.
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Addressing an unknown entity as a 'crack baby,' who doesn't recognize the thing they desire but has experienced it before and yearn for its return.
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
The 'crack baby' recognizes their need for the unknown entity and it consumes them, with the feeling vividly permeating through their entire body.
Went to your room thinking maybe you'll feel something
But all I saw was your burning body waiting
All these twenty years on a vacation
Going to someone's room, hoping to revive their emotions, but discovering that they were waiting there with a burning body, highlighting a challenging twenty-year duration, as if on vacation.
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you want it
Yeah, you know that you want it
You know that you
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you need it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
The 'crack baby' is unsure of what they desire, but they are cognizant of its value to them. They have a burning need for it, and wild horses continuously run through their being, which symbolizes intense yearning.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mitsuki Laycock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Ray_hehe
Down empty streets sniffing glue me and you
Blank open eyes watch the moon flower bloom
It's been a long hard twenty year summer vacation
Both these twenty years trying to fill the void
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Went to your room thinking maybe you'll feel something
But all I saw was your burning body waiting
All these twenty years on a vacation
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you want it
Yeah you know that you want it
You know that you
Crack baby you don't know what you want
But you know that you need it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
@Yournumberonevamplover
Lyrics: Down empty streets sniffing glue, me and you
Blank open eyes watch the moon flower bloom
It's been a long, hard 20 year summer vacation
Both these 20 years tryna fill the void
Crack baby, you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Crack baby, you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Went to your room thinking maybe you'll feel something
But all I saw was your burning body waiting
All these 20 years on a vacation
Crack baby, you don't know what you want
But you know that you had it once
And you know that you want it back
Crack baby, you don't know what you want
But you know that you're needing it
And you know that you need it bad
Crack baby, you don't know what you want
But you know that you want it
Yeah, you know that you want it
You know that you-
Crack baby, you don't know what you want
But you know that you need it
And you know that you need it bad
With wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
Wild horses running through your hollow bones
@mitskileaks
Mitski's new album 'The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We', featuring the song "My Love Mine All Mine" is out now. Watch the music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx4kLgnFexo
Listen to the album: https://mitski.lnk.to/TLIIASAW
@st4r.f
hi
@jelloeater
@@st4r.f hello
@Random_weeb23443
@@jelloeaterYo.
@jelloeater
@@Random_weeb23443 what🙏
@Random_weeb23443
@@jelloeater just wanted to say hi and that you're an amazing person :)
@jas3335
this song is my personal favourite, i interpret it as being 'doomed from the start' like growing up with an addict or someone abusive/neglectful.
@elle-dk9dn
I interpret it as looking for happiness knowing that you were once happy but not knowing what can bring that happiness back
@riotinvictus
as someone who grew up with a abusive and neglectful parents this song is exactly what it feels like. just constantly being confused and yearning for their love
@animator19302
Im both 😭🙏 I was an addict of alot of things that were all extreme like tons of drvgs, sm0k/ng, (binging/fasting/v0mit/ng) ; ed, and w energy drink as 3 daily in a month. W abuse and neglect, I dont know how to hold a fork or a spoon properly even till now, I js grip on it like how youll see babies grip on forks and another thing is that I cant pour juice in a cup unless im spilling atleast some and I feel embarasse to say all of this as I struggle w devoloping and been an addict before and around those times I was around 6-12