Throughout her 20s, Paulusma flirted with a number of occupations, from scholar (she embarked on a PhD after graduation from Cambridge University) to novelist (she was talented enough to bag a literary agent). But raised on a diet of Joni Mitchell and Carole King, music was always Paulusma’s first love. She wrote her first song aged ten, but it took 18 years of denial before she finally listened to her heart and recorded her debut album.
“Music had always been part of my life,” she says. “I’d been in bands, writing songs all along, but I’d just been doing it for the hell of it. It never crossed my mind to try and do it properly.”
It wasn’t until she recorded backing vocals for friends Ben & Jason’s last album that the penny finally dropped. “I had one of these earth shattering moments when I suddenly realised that everything I was doing was wrong and that I should be doing this instead,” she says. “It was like I got hit with an electric current – maybe I did – it was a pretty lo-fi studio so there was always that possibility! I just started crying. I thought, oh buggery fuck, here we go again.”
Matilda
Polly Paulusma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First a finger then a thumb
Matilda started disappearing in front of everyone
No one noticed how translucent she become
As one by one it started softly
First a fumble then a kiss
In all his dreams he'd never seen perfection like this
As one by one the walkers left the park
And one by one the electric lights went dark
And one by one he buried her down in this hall
I've got nothing to fear
Somebody knows
That I'm hiding down here
If I wiggle my toes, they gonna come find me
If I wiggle my toes, I'm gonna get free
It started slowly
Like a joining up of dots
Dolly on a doorstep and an empty cardboard box
The choir yawning as the final penny drops
As one by one we called her name out loud
One by one we strained to hear a sound
And one by one our torch beam shown down in this hall
I've got nothing to fear
Somebody knows
That I'm hiding down here
If I wiggle my toes, they gonna come find me
Somebody knows that I'm under these stones
They gonna come find me
The lyrics to Polly Paulusma's song Matilda tell a haunting and mysterious story that seems to involve the disappearance and death of a young woman named Matilda. The first verse sets the stage by describing how she started to slowly vanish before everyone's eyes without anyone noticing. The second verse introduces another character, who seems to be a lover or admirer of Matilda, and describes how he saw her as perfect despite the fact that her hand was tied. The chorus adds a sense of suspense and danger as the singer indicates that somebody knows they are hiding and that they are trying to wiggle their way out, but it is unclear who they are or who they are hiding from.
The third verse brings in more characters and a sense of urgency as they call out for Matilda and shine their torches into the "hall" where she seems to be buried. The final chorus suggests that Matilda is trapped under stones and that someone is coming to find her, but it is still unclear what has happened or who is responsible.
The lyrics of the song are open to interpretation, but some possible meanings include themes of loss, abuse, secrecy, and powerlessness. The song may also be interpreted as a critique of societal structures and systems that allow for violence against vulnerable individuals to go unnoticed or unaddressed.
Line by Line Meaning
It started slowly
The events that caused Matilda's disappearance began gradually
First a finger then a thumb
Her fading away started with small body parts
Matilda started disappearing in front of everyone
People witnessed Matilda's gradual disappearance
No one noticed how translucent she become
Despite her visible fading, nobody paid notice to her strange condition
As one by one it started softly
The situation evolved slowly and gently
First a fumble then a kiss
The singer experiences new feelings and emotions towards someone else
In all his dreams he'd never seen perfection like this
The singer feels like he's found something perfect for him
No one noticed her hand tied as it is
Despite finding something perfect, there's still an obstacle in the way
As one by one the walkers left the park
People started leaving the park one by one
And one by one the electric lights went dark
The lights went out one by one
And one by one he buried her down in this hall
The singer was responsible for burying someone in a hall
I've got nothing to fear
The artist feels confident and unafraid
Somebody knows
Someone is aware of the singer's whereabouts
That I'm hiding down here
The singer is in hiding
If I wiggle my toes, they gonna come find me
The singer believes they will be found if they try to escape
If I wiggle my toes, I'm gonna get free
The artist believes they will be able to escape if they try
Like a joining up of dots
Things started to come together and make sense
Dolly on a doorstep and an empty cardboard box
The scene includes a toy and an empty container
The choir yawning as the final penny drops
Everyone was waiting for a conclusion and there was a sense of anticlimax
As one by one we called her name out loud
Everyone shouted her name one by one
One by one we strained to hear a sound
Everyone tried to listen for a response
And one by one our torch beam shown down in this hall
People investigated the situation with their flashlights
Somebody knows that I'm under these stones
Someone is aware of the singer's location
They gonna come find me
The artist believes they will be found soon
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Polly Paulusma
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind