Says Alex of the first single from the fourth Oh Mercy album - still untitled... “Sandy is a fast song. Faster than the other ones. Or slower. It really just depends on how you count the bars. And which song you compare it to. Faster than a real slow song. Slower than a real fast one. Sandy is a stuck in the middle kind of song. I wrote it in Nashville. I was walking to a Mexican restaurant. It's about self loathing. And self loathing by way of resenting someone who loves you. Just for loving you! (what a world!!!). It's a little about needing it. But wishing you didn’t need it. In the end you're god damn glad you got it.”
Alex Gow recently returned home to Melbourne from the States where he spent time in Nashville, Portland and Los Angeles, disconnected and rootless - a ‘romatic saboteur’ creating his forthcoming album.
Read the album’s travel diary here: http://www.ohmercy.com.au/about/
Gow is one of Australia’s most acclaimed singer/songwriters. Releasing three albums by the time he was 25, he won the ‘Outstanding Potential Award’ at the AMP’s in 2009 and was awarded the EG Music ‘Outstanding Achivement’ Award in 2012. He also has a string of ARIA nominations under his belt for the albums Privileged Woes, Great Barrier Grief and most recent, Deep Heat.
I Feel Possessed
Oh Mercy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I know you can, you are in my dream
We are one person not two of a kind
What was mine is now in your possession
I could feel you underneath my skin
As the wind rushed in sent the kitchen table crashing
She said nobody move
I hardly know
Which way is up or which way down
People are strange God only knows
I feel possessed when you come around
It was one of those times
Wished I had a camera on me
Six foot, now off the ground
I know how that sounds
Look above you and beyond me too
That kind of view don't need an explanation
I'm not lying, not asking for anything
I just want to be there when it happens again
I hardly know
Which way is up or which way down
People are strange God only knows
I feel possessed when you come around
Whenever you invade my home
Everything I know flies out the window
It's above you and beyond me too, I don't want an explanation
But I'll be there when you bring the house down
I hardly know
Which way is up or which way down
People are strange God only knows
I feel possessed when you come around
People are strange
And I feel possessed when you come around
I feel possessed
I feel possessed
I feel possessed
The lyrics to Oh Mercy's "I Feel Possessed" are rife with imagery and emotions that create an overwhelming feeling of desire and longing. The song starts with the singer addressing someone who has told him that he would never be able to do something. However, the singer asserts that he knows he can do it, and that the person is already a part of his dream. He goes on to say that they are one person, not two of a kind, and that what was his is now in the other person's possession. The intensity builds up as the singer describes feeling the other person "underneath his skin," and a wind rushing in that causes chaos.
The singer refers to an incident where someone said, "nobody move or I'll bring the house down." He states that he hardly knows which way is up or down, he is unsure of people and their motivations, but when the person he desires comes around, he feels possessed. He describes a moment that he wishes he had captured on camera when the person rose six feet off the ground. He states that he does not need an explanation for their existence, but merely wants to be there when those intense moments happen once more. The song ends with the singer admitting that whenever the person he desires invades his home, he loses everything he knows, and he'll be by them even when it all comes crashing down.
The song is an intense ode to desire and the overwhelming emotions that come with it. The lyrics are poetic and vivid, painting images of wind rushing in and objects crashing to the ground, giving the listener a sense of the chaos and passion involved in the singer's emotions. The lyrics are relatable; many people have felt the an almost inescapable longing for someone, and the feeling of wanting that person around so much it's almost painful.
Line by Line Meaning
She said I could never do that
Someone told me I couldn't do something, but I know I can because it's something I dream about.
But I know you can, you are in my dream
I have confidence in you to achieve what I dream about because I see you as part of me.
We are one person not two of a kind
We are not just similar, we are the same person, sharing the same desire and purpose.
What was mine is now in your possession
You have taken what was mine and now it belongs to you, but that's okay because we are one and the same.
I could feel you underneath my skin
Your presence is so strong that I feel it like it's inside of me, like it's a part of who I am.
As the wind rushed in sent the kitchen table crashing
Something dramatic just happened, the wind came and knocked over the kitchen table.
She said nobody move
Someone in the room told everyone to stay still and not do anything.
Or I'll bring the house down
The person threatened to destroy everything if anyone tried to interfere or stop them.
I hardly know
I'm really not certain.
Which way is up or which way down
I'm disoriented and confused, unable to tell which direction is which.
People are strange God only knows
People are unpredictable and mysterious, and only God knows what they will do or why they do it.
I feel possessed when you come around
When you're near me, I feel like something beyond my control takes over and I'm compelled to do or say things I wouldn't normally.
It was one of those times
This particular moment was one that stood out - notable and significant.
Wished I had a camera on me
I regret not having a way to capture what was happening at the time, to record and remember it later on.
Six foot, now off the ground
Someone or something was lifted off the ground and suspended in midair by an unknown force.
I know how that sounds
I understand that what I'm saying might come across as crazy or unbelievable.
Look above you and beyond me too
Pay attention to what's happening around us and outside of us - this moment is bigger than just the two of us.
That kind of view don't need an explanation
This situation is so incredible and surreal that it defies explanation - we just have to experience it and appreciate it for what it is.
I'm not lying, not asking for anything
I'm not making this up, and I don't want or need anything from you - I just want to be present in this moment and soak it in.
I just want to be there when it happens again
I don't know what's coming next, but I want to be around to witness it and feel that same sense of wonder and excitement again.
Whenever you invade my home
Whenever you come into my space or my life.
Everything I know flies out the window
When you're around, everything familiar and comfortable disappears, and I'm left feeling disoriented and uncertain.
But I'll be there when you bring the house down
Even though I'm afraid of what might happen or how you might act, I'm still willing to stick around and see it through.
People are strange
People are, as a whole, unpredictable and mysterious.
And I feel possessed when you come around
When you're near me, I feel like something beyond my control takes over and I'm compelled to do or say things I wouldn't normally.
I feel possessed
I feel like my body and my mind are being taken over by something or someone else entirely.
I feel possessed
I feel like something beyond my control is manipulating me and making me act in ways I wouldn't normally.
I feel possessed
I don't know what's controlling me, but all I know is that I'm not in charge of myself anymore.
Writer(s): Neil Mullane Finn Copyright: Lasora Ltd.
Contributed by Adalyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.