In the chorus, the speaker acknowledges that there is nothing they can do to alter the situation, so they surrender control to someone else. They hope that giving up control is acceptable to the person they are addressing. The repetition of "I surrender" emphasizes their resignation and acceptance of their circumstances.
In the second verse, the speaker continues to watch the heat lightning, this time from their doorstep. They observe the sky with its "sleeping eyelid" and the wind causing trees to sway like sea anemones. The approaching storm perhaps symbolizes the inevitable change that will come despite the speaker's inability to control it.
Overall, "Heat Lightning" seems to be about accepting one's limitations and acknowledging that some things in life cannot be changed or controlled. The speaker resigns themselves to surrender control and hope for the best.
Heat Lightning
Mitski Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running outside the window
I've laid awake since one
And now it's four o'clock
Though I've held on
Can't carry it much longer
On the ceiling dancing
Are the things all come and gone
And there's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
So, I give it up to you
I hope that's okay
There's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
I give it up to you, I surrender
Heat lightning
Watch it from my doorstep
Sleeping eyelid of the sky
Flutters in a dream
Well, I've held on
But feel a storm approaching
Trees are swaying in the wind like sea anemones
And there's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
Can I give it up to you?
Would that be okay?
There's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
I give it up to you, I surrender
There's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
I give it up to you, I surrender
Mitski's song "Heat Lightning" depicts a person who is struggling to deal with their emotions and the circumstances that they are in. The opening line "Heat lightning, running outside the window" sets the scene of a hot and restless summer night. The persona has been lying awake since 1 o'clock, and it is now 4 o'clock. The person has been holding on to something, but it is becoming increasingly difficult, as indicated in the line āthough Iāve held on, canāt carry it much longer." The dances on the ceiling are a metaphor for how the things from the past are still present in the persona's mind, yet they are just distant memories.
The chorus reveals the personaās feelings of helplessness and resignation to their circumstances. They acknowledge that they cannot do much to change things and give up to surrender to their situation. The repetition of the lines "there's nothing I can do, not much I can change, I give it up to you, I surrender" emphasizes the personaās lack of control and their willingness to submit to the situation.
In the second verse, the persona watches the heat lightning from their doorstep, and the "sleeping eyelid of the sky flutters in a dream." These lines suggest that the persona is half-awake, exhausted and unable to sleep. They feel a storm approaching and are unsure of what the future holds. In this final verse, they wonder if they can give up control to someone else and if that would be okay.
Overall, "Heat Lightning" is a song about the contradictions of helplessness and surrender, trying to hold on while acknowledging the futility of doing so. It's a bittersweet and pensive meditation on the difficulties of dealing with difficult situations that are out of our control.
Line by Line Meaning
Heat lightning
The sudden unexpected lighting happening outside
Running outside the window
The view of the lightning coming from outside of the window
I've laid awake since one
The singer having insomnia and unable to sleep since one in the morning
And now it's four o'clock
The time the artist realizes it's already four in the morning
Though I've held on
Trying to maintain composure despite exhaustion
Can't carry it much longer
Reaching the limit of endurance and feeling tired
On the ceiling dancing
Seeing shadows on the ceiling, perhaps from the storm
Are the things all come and gone
Reflecting on memories of things and events that have already passed
And there's nothing I can do
Feeling helpless and unable to do anything about the situation
Not much I can change
Realizing that there's not much control over the events happening
So, I give it up to you
Surrendering to a higher power or someone who can take charge of the situation
I hope that's okay
Asking for permission before surrendering
Watch it from my doorstep
Seeing the storm from the front door
Sleeping eyelid of the sky
The appearance of the sky as if it's sleeping while the storm occurs
Flutters in a dream
The sky seems to be dreaming and reacting to the storm
Well, I've held on
Trying to remain calm despite the situation
But feel a storm approaching
Sensing trouble or a problem ahead
Trees are swaying in the wind like sea anemones
Observing the movement and swaying of trees due to the strong wind
Can I give it up to you?
Asking again for confirmation before letting go
Would that be okay?
Double checking before giving up control
I surrender
Finally surrendering and letting go of control
There's nothing I can do
Reiterating the lack of control over the situation
Not much I can change
Accepting the fact that there's not much influence on the outcome
I give it up to you, I surrender
Final conclusion of letting go and surrendering control
Lyrics Ā© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mitsuki Laycock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@isaacm.7982
For me, this song is like the nights I spent awake with anxiety unable to fall asleep. Itās an odd feeling that this song captures well. Being so worried about something that your mind cannot turn off and begins to wander and rakes you over the coals for all of your other past mistakes.
The heat lightening in the background is for me, a metaphor for something powerful that canāt hurt you because it is so far away, but could if it was closer.
And for Mitski, she believes the (metaphorical) storm is coming closer.
At last, when her mind is finally worn and tired at 4 AM, she consigns herself by saying that she surrenders and there is not much she can do or say to change her past or even to convince her own self that she could have done anything differently. She stops the fight and gives up the only control she believes she has in this situation by saying she surrenders. As she says it, she is consumed with a feeling of relief that her worries are being passed onto some greater power as her mind relaxes into sleep in order for her to worry about it another
day.
The verse when she is on her doorstep perhaps gives the listener a clue that these kinds of nights happen regularly and at different times. She sees āheat lighteningā not only from her bed, but from her doorstep, telling us that this problem or regret appears/appeared to her often in this period of time.
This is a brilliant song because it feels like an evolution and a refinement of her previous work. She is evoking the powerful and strange natural phenomenon of heat lightening to catalogue the feeling of a night when she felt so hopeless and torn by her previous mistakes or regrets and worries about the consequences.
@mialovescatss
Lyrics
Heat lightning running outside the window
Iāve laid awake since 1:00 and now itās 4 oāclock
Though Iāve held on, canāt carry it much longer
On the ceiling dancing are the things all come and gone
And thereās nothing I can do, not much I can change
So I give it up to you, I hope thatās okay
Thereās nothing I can do, not much I can change
I give it up to you, I surrender
[Verse 2]
Heat lightning, watch it from my doorstep
Sleeping eyelid of the sky flutters in a dream
Well, Iāve held on, but feel a storm approaching
Trees are swaying in the wind like sea anemones
[Chorus]
And thereās nothing I can do, not much I can change
Can I give it up to you? Would that be okay?
Thereās nothing I can do, not much I can change
I give it up to you, I surrender
Thereās nothing I can do, not much I can change
I give it up to you, I surrender
@soleil2999
"Heat Lightning" Lyrics
Heat lightning
Reaching outside the window
I've laid awake since o'clock
Though I've held on
Can't carry it much longer
On the ceiling dancing
Things all come and go
And there's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
So I give it up to you
I hope that's okay
There's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
I give it up to you
I surrender
Heat lightning
Watch it from my doorstep
Of the sky
In a dream
Well I've held on
But feel a storm approaching
And swaying in the wind
And there's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
So I give it up to you
I hope that's okay
There's nothing I can do
Not much I can change
I give it up to you
I surrender
@jo7247
just when things start to get worse, mitski comes back with another banger
@k1ngpurp132
FRR
@bwabwarrrrr5905
Ur pfp š„²
@an4y33
FOR REAL.
@milipilyy
š„²š„²
@fluttervixen
Valid pfp š©
@rinkagamine3103
The "There is nothing I can do , not much I can change" hit me deeply
@CordeIiaCooke
Same, Kaneki.
@d4ffie
YUP THAT PART
@SWEETHEART27997
Sameš