Under the pseudonym Tancred, Now, Now's Jess Abbott has put out a collection of songs written about her life. Raised on the coast of Maine, Abbott lived briefly on the west coast before moving to Minnesota to join Now, Now (then Now, Now Every Children). "Capes" illustrates her journey and speaks of the longing and loss she has felt.
Black Cat
Tancred Lyrics
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from punches you threw
the tips of your shoes
oh the doors they broke through
and nothing that night
was as scary as you that day
my only request
vocalized with my tiny lungs in my tiny chest
you ignored
you ignored
you ignored
so do not wonder why we had to leave you
and why we cannot ever come home
The lyrics to Tancred's song "Black Cat" are quite powerful and descriptive. The song seems to be about a relationship that has turned abusive, and the singer is recounting a specific instance of violence that occurred. The first line "we hid in my room" describes the two people in the relationship seeking shelter from the violence that is occurring outside of the room. The second line "from punches you threw" makes it clear that the violence is physically violent and is being inflicted by the other person in the relationship.
The lines "the tips of your shoes, oh the doors they broke through" create an intense image of the violence continuing to escalate and the perpetrator ramping up their attack. The next line "and nothing that night was as scary as you that day" reveals that this is not an isolated incident, but rather a pattern of behavior - the person committing the violence is in fact an extremely scary individual.
The final lines of the song "my only request vocalized with my tiny lungs in my tiny chest, you ignored, you ignored, you ignored, you ignored" reveal that the singer attempted to put a stop to the violence, but their pleas were ignored. The song ends with the powerful statement "so do not wonder why we had to leave you and why we cannot ever come home" - the abuse was so severe that the relationship had to come to an end and there is no going back.
Line by Line Meaning
We hid in my room
We sought safety in my room
from punches you threw
From your physical attacks towards us
the tips of your shoes
Even the smallest parts of you were terrifying to us
oh the doors they broke through
You were so forceful that you even broke through doors
and nothing that night
No other thing that happened that night
was as scary as you that day
Compares the fear we felt from you to anything else we experienced that day
my only request
The only thing I asked of you
vocalized with my tiny lungs in my tiny chest
I expressed it with all my limited strength
you ignored
You did not care about my request
you ignored
Still not paying attention to me
you ignored
Continuing to disregard my plea
you ignored
I am emphasizing how much you blatantly ignored me
so do not wonder why we had to leave you
Explanatory sentence to not question our decision to leave you
and why we cannot ever come home
We are unable to return home because of the fear and harm you caused us
Contributed by Aubrey T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@VenoFluffehKitty
This really hits close to home.
@ellwa
I wish these songs were longer..
They feel very incomplete..
@sabrina27ize
Crying.
@matthewlivingston3168
We hid in my room
From punches you threw
The tips of your shoes
Oh the doors they broke through
And nothing that night
Was as scary as you that day
My only request
Vocalized with my tiny lungs in my tiny chest
You ignored
You ignored
You ignored
You ignored
So do not wonder why we had to leave you
And why we cannot ever come home