Straight for the Knife
Sia爀 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I put a little make-up on
Put a bow in my hair, wore pretty underwear
Hoping you might take it off
Don't know your etiquette
But I'm strapped to my chair
And it ain't 'cause you're pretty
You were charming, until
Your chance to make history
You went straight for the knife
And I prepared to die
Your blade it shines
Looked me straight in the eye
You turned the gas on high
Held the flame alight
You wonder why
I'm scared of fire
You wonder why you make girls cry
My mascara a mess, harsh words for your princess
Boy, you and your promises
If your goal was to love, you scored an epic miss
Now you'll just have memories
You went straight for the knife
And I prepared to die
Your blade it shines
Looked me straight in the eye
You turned the gas on high
Held the flame alight
You wonder why
I'm scared of fire
You wonder why you make girls cry
Boy, you draw me back in
I'm hungry for your bad loving
But will someone find me swinging from the rafters
From hanging on your every word
You went straight for the knife
And I prepared to die
Your blade it shines
Looked me straight in the eye
You turned the gas on high
Held the flame alight
You wonder why
I'm scared of fire
You wonder why you make girls cry
You wonder why you make girls cry
The lyrics of Sia's "Straight for the Knife" explores the topic of trust and betrayal in a relationship. The singer of the song has just dressed up her best to please her partner hoping that their evening together would be romantic and memorable. Halfway through the song, the tone shifts dramatically, revealing that things have gone horribly wrong. The partner whom she trusted and thought was charming suddenly switches personality and takes a knife to kill her. The singer, who has now realized her mistake in trusting her partner, prepares to die, and the song ends on a note of accusation, with the singer questioning why her partner would make her go through such a traumatic experience.
The song's tone is dark and brooding, with the lyrics and music working together to create a sense of suffocating tension. Sia's emotional delivery of the lines, "You wonder why I'm scared of fire/You wonder why you make girls cry" delivers the song's central message saliently. The metaphorical use of a "knife" draws a parallel between the physical act of killing and emotional betrayal, emphasizing the hurt and pain that one's partner's actions can cause.
Line by Line Meaning
Put on my best dress, I wanted to impress
I dressed up nicely hoping to impress you
I put a little make-up on
I put on some makeup to enhance my beauty
Put a bow in my hair, wore pretty underwear
I wore a bow in my hair and pretty underwear in the hope of enticing you
Hoping you might take it off
I hoped that you might remove my clothing
Don't know your etiquette
I'm not familiar with your manners or customs
But I'm strapped to my chair
I feel trapped in this situation
And it ain't 'cause you're pretty
I don't fear you just because of your looks
You were charming, until
I found you charming before an event happened
You saw your chance to kill
You saw an opportunity to harm me
Your chance to make history
You saw this as an opportunity to be remembered in history
You went straight for the knife
You attacked me directly and quickly
And I prepared to die
I was ready to face death
Your blade it shines
Your knife is sharp and glistening
Looked me straight in the eye
You made direct eye contact with me
You turned the gas on high
You turned up the gas to a dangerous level
Held the flame alight
You lit a flame
You wonder why
You question why
I'm scared of fire
I'm afraid of fire due to your actions
You wonder why you make girls cry
You question why you cause emotional distress to women
My mascara a mess, harsh words for your princess
My mascara is smudged from crying and I have harsh words for you, my supposed prince charming
Boy, you and your promises
You and your unfulfilled promises
If your goal was to love, you scored an epic miss
If your goal was to love someone, you completely failed
Now you'll just have memories
Now all you have left are memories
Boy, you draw me back in
Despite everything, you still manage to pull me back to you
I'm hungry for your bad loving
I crave your toxic and unhealthy love
But will someone find me swinging from the rafters
But I fear that I will be found hanging from the ceiling due to my attachment to you
From hanging on your every word
From valuing and relying on your every word
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JUSTIN PARKER, SIA FURLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind