Shadow
Sia Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yes, you can take that to heart
It was meant to sit close to the bone anyway
You can make it a big issue
Make it a battle of your own and that's ok

You can feign a distant familiarity
You say you understand the similarity
You think you see me with great clarity
But you're acting me, not necessarily (not sure about that one)
Only if you steal my shadow, will you truly know

Yes, you can call that a start
It was meant to begin kind of slow anyway
Yes, your deceit is an art (could also be "your deceit isn't odd")
I knew you would sink kind of low anyway

You say you have the best intentions
You fill me with fickle suggestions
Logic is fired by inventions
But your concern is much more than you mention
Only if you steal my shadow, will you truly know

You say you're in my situation
You say you've been confused by my complication
You think my soul makes negotiation




But you don't see my hesitation
Only if you steal my shadow, will you truly know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Shadow" by Sia are quite mysterious and poetic. The main theme of the song is the idea that you cannot truly understand someone unless you have experienced what they have been through. The metaphor of the shadow is used to express this idea. The shadow is something that is always with us, but not always visible. Similarly, our experiences shape us, but they may not always be apparent to others.


The first verse talks about how we can try to understand someone by empathizing with them, but we can never really know what it's like to be them. The lines "You can feign a distant familiarity / You say you understand the similarity / You think you see me with great clarity / But you're acting me, not necessarily" highlight the idea that we may think we understand someone, but we are really just projecting our own ideas onto them. The only way to truly understand someone is to experience what they have experienced - to "steal their shadow".


The second verse is about someone who claims to have good intentions but is actually deceptive. The lines "You say you have the best intentions / You fill me with fickle suggestions / Logic is fired by inventions / But your concern is much more than you mention" suggest that this person is not being honest about their motivations. They are only pretending to care and understand, but they do not really know what it's like to be in the other person's shoes. Again, the idea is that they need to "steal the shadow" to truly understand.


Overall, "Shadow" is a complex and introspective song about the limitations of our ability to empathize with others. The use of the metaphor of the shadow adds depth to the lyrics, making them more poetic and open to interpretation.


Line by Line Meaning

Yes, you can take that to heart
You can certainly believe that.


It was meant to sit close to the bone anyway
The lyrics were written to be deeply personal and relatable.


You can make it a big issue
You have the power to exaggerate the situation.


Make it a battle of your own and that's ok
It's okay if you want to turn it into an argument.


You can feign a distant familiarity
You can pretend to understand but not really know.


You say you understand the similarity
You claim to see yourself in my situation.


You think you see me with great clarity
You believe you understand me well.


But you're acting me, not necessarily
You're playing a role, not necessarily being genuine.


Only if you steal my shadow, will you truly know
You can only understand the depth of my experience if you fully embrace and embody it.


Yes, you can call that a start
You can begin to understand with that perspective.


It was meant to begin kind of slow anyway
The process of understanding doesn't have to be rushed.


Yes, your deceit is an art
Your dishonesty is impressive in its craftiness.


I knew you would sink kind of low anyway
I was aware that you would act dishonorably.


You say you have the best intentions
You claim to have good intentions.


You fill me with fickle suggestions
You offer me inconsistent advice.


Logic is fired by inventions
Your arguments are fueled by your own imagination.


But your concern is much more than you mention
You care more than you let on.


You say you're in my situation
You claim to be in a similar situation as me.


You say you've been confused by my complication
You say you're unsure how to handle my difficulties.


You think my soul makes negotiation
You believe my essence can resolve things.


But you don't see my hesitation
You fail to understand my uncertainty.


Only if you steal my shadow, will you truly know
You need to fully empathize with me in order to understand what I'm going through.




Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@fawaz5353

LYRICS :
I'm fighting a battle
I'm fighting my shadow
Herd fears like they're cattle
I'm fighting a battle, yeah
I'm fighting my ego
Lost youth, where did we go wrong?
I'm fighting for me, though
I'm lighting the long way home

Oh the past it haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past it haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
But the battle was lost
‘Cos I'm still here

I'm winning the war now
I'm winning it all now
Watch tears while they fall down
I'm winning the war now
I win against ego
Cast light on the shadow's long
I'm winning from ego
I'm lighting the long way home

Oh the past it haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past it haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cos I'm still here

It's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past, it's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past it's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
But the battle was lost
‘Cos I'm still here

I'm fighting my ego
Lost youth, where did we go wrong?
I'm winning for me, though
I'm lighting the long way home

Oh the past it's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past it's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cos I'm still here

It's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past it's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past it's haunted me
Oh the past it wanted me dead
Oh the past tormented me
But the battle was lost
‘Cos I'm still here



@azzasouayeh5301

I'm fighting a battle
I'm fighting my shadow
Heard fears like they're cattle
I'm fighting a battle, yeah
I'm fighting my ego
Lost youth where did we go wrong
I'm fighting for me though
I'm lighting the long way home
Oh, the past, it haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cause I'm still here
I am winning the war now
I'm winning it all now
Watch tears while they fall down
I'm winning the war now
I win against ego
Cast light on the shadow's long
I'm winning from ego
I'm lighting the long way home
Oh, the past, it haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cause I'm still here
It's haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it's haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it's haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cause I'm still here
I'm fighting my ego
Lost youth where did we go wrong
I'm winning from ego
I'm lighting the long way home
Oh, the past, it haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it haunted me
Oh the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cause I'm still here
It's haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it's haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, it's haunted me
Oh, the past, it wanted me dead
Oh, the past, tormented me
But the battle was lost
'Cause I'm still here



All comments from YouTube:

@Leader_Of_Lyrics

Sia is a DIVA ❤❤

@dotrecords6835

https://youtu.be/g_ZZZ328x3U

@ninjakiller2453

Sia is the best I love u sia

@edwardbil465

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO0Un9yBQzg&t=27s

@daliacruz2680

Si( ^∇^)(⌒▽⌒)

@carloseduardoneves733

@Anna Urban in Brazil is the great term kk

54 More Replies...

@Qalelwkaseeraladab

رائعة 🌺

@benperreth1532

قضيب

@benperreth1532

!ALAHU*AHKBAR!

@xflxme.

He's a nigga

More Comments

More Versions