Joy
The Grinns Lyrics


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You could feel it in the air
Everybody knows
That's how it goes
Oh so it goes
In Santa Cruz
Where the water runs cold
Oh can you feel it?
Sure to the world
Don't go, don't go
I can feel it in my bones
I can feel it in my fingers
But I knew you were so
I can feel it in my eyelids
Eyelids, eyelids
Of course you would

You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
You should just go, go
If you wanna, cause you wanna right now
You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now

I've starved myself
Things I don't know
Things I never know
Oh so it goes
[?] so slow
I wanna know how it feels
To be in our control
I can feel it in my bones
I can feel it in my fingers
I can feel it in my eyelids
Eyelids, eyelids
Eyelids, eyelids
Oh don't you know?

You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
You should just go, go
If you wanna, cause you wanna right now
You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now

You could hear my voice
It's growing cold
Colder than you know
Closer to ghost
You could feel the sky
It's growing old
Older than you know
You could feel my bones
I could feel it in my fingers
I could feel it in my eyelids
Eyelids, eyelids, eyelids
Oh don't you know

You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
You should just go, go
If you wanna, cause you wanna right now




You could not know
How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now

Overall Meaning

The Grinns's song "Joy" is a melancholic, dreamy indie rock song that speaks to the emotions and feelings of a person who is experiencing despair, isolation, and confusion. The opening lines of the song, "You could feel it in the air, everybody knows, That's how it goes, Oh so it goes," sets the tone for the song's message of despair that can be felt in the air. The song is further depicted through the use of imagery, particularly the mention of Santa Cruz, a coastal town in California known for its picturesque beaches, and the water that runs cold, which could represent a sense of emotional coldness and detachment.


The chorus of the song expresses the lead singer's emotional turmoil and the fact that others cannot truly understand how he's feeling at that moment. He expresses his state of mind by saying, "You could not know, how I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now, you should just go, go, if you wanna, cause you wanna right now." The message implies that he's in a particularly dark place which isn't easy for anyone else to comprehend. The song also touches on the theme of control; the lead singer wants to control his emotions, but he's unable to do so entirely, leaving him feeling helpless and frustrated.


Ultimately, "Joy" is a powerful and emotive song that captures the complexities of human emotions, particularly those of despair, isolation, and confusion. The lyrics are delivered with a haunting melody, which only adds to the song's poignancy and weight.


Line by Line Meaning

You could feel it in the air
There is an unspoken feeling present that can be sensed


Everybody knows
The feeling is commonly recognized among those present


That's how it goes
It is typical for this feeling to arise in this situation


Oh so it goes
This feeling has occurred before and will likely occur again


In Santa Cruz
The location of the feeling


Where the water runs cold
The physical environment in which the feeling is present


Oh can you feel it?
A rhetorical question asking if the listener can sense the feeling


Sure to the world
The feeling is undeniably present


Don't go, don't go
A plea for someone to stay and experience the feeling


I can feel it in my bones
The artist can feel the feeling deeply within themselves


I can feel it in my fingers
The singer can physically feel the feeling


But I knew you were so
The artist is confident that the listener also feels the feeling


I can feel it in my eyelids
The singer is so affected by the feeling that it's visible in their eyes


Eyelids, eyelids
Repetition for emphasis


Of course you would
The singer is certain that the listener would feel the feeling


You could not know How I'm feeling, what I'm feeling right now
The artist acknowledges that it's difficult for the listener to fully understand their emotions


You should just go, go If you wanna, cause you wanna right now
The artist is giving the listener permission to leave if they don't feel the same way


I've starved myself Things I don't know Things I never know Oh so it goes [?] so slow
The singer has been depriving themselves of something unknown, and it's been a slow process


I wanna know how it feels To be in our control
The singer wants to experience being in control of the situation and the feeling


You could hear my voice It's growing cold Colder than you know Closer to ghost
The artist's demeanor is reflective of the change in feeling, and they are starting to feel isolated and distant like a ghost


You could feel the sky It's growing old Older than you know
The environment is also changing with the feeling, becoming worn and aged


You could feel my bones I could feel it in my fingers I could feel it in my eyelids Eyelids, eyelids, eyelids Oh don't you know
Repetition of earlier phrases for emphasis




Writer(s): the grinns

Contributed by Alaina M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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