Kristine Flaherty grew up outside of Chicago, devouring her father's classic rock records and staying up late dancing to Parliament-Funkadelic in the living room. It was this same musical open-mindedness that would later spark her artistic development. She found her musical voice in college, fusing the eclectic power of the Bay Area hip hop scene with her own unique presence, inspired by strong, independent female artists ranging from Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill to Fiona Apple and Liz Phair.
On stage, K.Flay is a one-woman whirlwind: whether she’s creating beats, singing, rapping or playing guitar, her wit and acerbic charm shine through. Her talents have led her to share the stage with artists including Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, and 3OH!3, where she quickly won over audiences who hadn’t seen anything quite like her before. Further setting her apart from the pack, she serves as her own producer in the studio, methodically infusing her hip hop swagger with a dose of sonic exploration.
With one mixtape (the genre-hopping MASHed Potatoes) already available online, K.Flay is spending the rest of 2010 recording in San Francisco and touring with Passion Pit in October and 3oh!3 in November.
Four Letter Words
k.flay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's taking every ounce of power not to text you
Your body frozen in my mind like a statue
Wish I could scratch up all the letters of our tattoo
I'm a believer but I keep learning the hard way
That your love's only gonna make my heart break
My heart was crying, you were flyin' at a party
I'm usually nice
But just for tonight I wanna be mean
I wanna fight
I wanna say things I've been keeping inside
Four-letter words
I'm cursing
Fuck you
You didn't deserve me
Four-letter words
I'm cursing
Fuck you
You didn't deserve me
I caught you lying with the Bible in your right hand
Thought you could rule me like I wasn't gonna bite back
I'm sick of manipulative animals spending all of my time
Second guessing my mind, yeah, I'm taking the high road
But I might need to go low
So
I'm usually nice
But just for tonight I wanna be mean
I wanna fight
I wanna say things I've been keeping inside
Four-letter words
I'm cursing
Fuck you
You didn't deserve me
Four-letter words
I'm cursing
Fuck you
You didn't deserve me
I was buried alive
But I learned to hold my breath
No, you won't fool me twice
You can't have this back
Four-letter words
I'm cursing
Fuck you
You didn't deserve me
Four-letter words
I'm cursing
Fuck you
You didn't deserve me
In K.Flay's song "Four Letter Words," the singer is struggling to let go of a past love who has betrayed her. She sings about drinking a liter of tequila, feeling overwhelmed with memories of her former partner, and struggling to avoid sending them a text. She recognizes that the love she once had will only lead to heartbreak, but still struggles to move on. The chorus of the song features the repeated phrase "four-letter words," which is a euphemism for expletives. The singer is expressing her anger, hurt, and frustration with her ex-lover, using profanity to underscore her emotions.
Throughout the song, she reveals that her partner was manipulative and lied to her, ruling her like she wasn't going to fight back. The singer wants to fight and be mean, saying things she's been keeping inside. She feels as though her ex-partner did not deserve her, as though they didn't value the relationship as she did. The end of the song suggests that she has come to terms with the situation and has learned to hold her breath, refusing to be fooled by them again.
Line by Line Meaning
I drank a liter of tequila in my bedroom
I drowned myself in alcohol hoping to forget you
It's taking every ounce of power not to text you
I'm struggling to resist the urge to reach out to you
Your body frozen in my mind like a statue
I can't stop obsessing over you and the memories we shared
Wish I could scratch up all the letters of our tattoo
I wish I could erase any trace of you from my life
I'm a believer but I keep learning the hard way
I'm still holding onto hope for us despite the pain you've caused me
That your love's only gonna make my heart break
I know that loving you will only lead to more pain
My heart was crying, you were flyin' at a party
While I was hurting, you were out enjoying yourself without a care for my feelings
Baby, you play me like Atari at an arcade
You treated me like a disposable game, easily discarded when you were done
I'm usually nice
Normally, I'm kind and forgiving
But just for tonight I wanna be mean
But tonight, I want to let out my anger and frustration at you
I wanna fight
I want to confront you and challenge you on your actions
I wanna say things I've been keeping inside
I want to finally express the thoughts and emotions I've been suppressing
Four-letter words
I want to curse and use vulgar language
I'm cursing
I'm unleashing my anger and frustration at you
Fuck you
I hate you and all that you've done to me
You didn't deserve me
You didn't appreciate me or the love that I gave you
I caught you lying with the Bible in your right hand
I discovered your betrayal, pretending to be a righteous person while deceiving me
Thought you could rule me like I wasn't gonna bite back
You thought you could manipulate and control me without me standing up for myself
I'm sick of manipulative animals spending all of my time
I'm done wasting my time on deceitful and controlling people like you
Second guessing my mind, yeah, I'm taking the high road
I'm tired of doubting myself and letting you control my thoughts, but I'm choosing to rise above it
But I might need to go low
However, I might need to stoop to your level to finally get my revenge on you
I was buried alive
I felt trapped and suffocated in my relationship with you
But I learned to hold my breath
But I learned to endure through the hardships and struggles you put me through
No, you won't fool me twice
I won't let you deceive me and cause me pain again
You can't have this back
You won't have a second chance to break my heart and hurt me again
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kristine Flaherty, Noah Beresin, Tom Schleiter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind