Lyrics Analysis of Chosen Song

SOBER, LORDE
Play the song as you read the lyrics and my interpretation of their meaning. 

Limelight
Lose my mind
Limelight
Lose my mind
Limelight
Lose my mind
Limelight

The lines above are referencing Lorde's struggle with her rise to fame and the constant attention that comes with being an artist of her status. The repetition of this is representative of her state of mind-- her confusion and unhappiness as all of her thoughts come spilling out. 

Oh god, I'm clean out of air in my lungs
It's all gone
Played it so nonchalant

Here Lorde alludes to her anxiety-- her struggle with a panic attack in the middle of a party as she has mentioned in interviews when promoting her album. However, because of the social expectations of a party, she pretended that she was okay despite the fact that she felt as though she couldn't breathe. 

It's time we danced with the truth
Move along with the truth
Ooh (hey)

This could be a reference to a line in her earlier album Pure Heroine 'we dance around the lies we tell' to demonstrate her growth as an artist and a person and her maturity now. It could also link to a romantic interest-- she wants to tell the person she likes how she truly feels so that they can enter a relationship.

We're sleeping through all the days
I'm acting like I don't see every
Ribbon you used to tie yourself to me

The lines above link to the feeling she has that she's missing out on life. She is pretending not to see the way that her partner 'ties' himself to her perhaps because she wants to avoid conflict. The word 'ties' implies that she feels trapped by him and held back by his constant presence, but the use of 'ribbons' to soften the idea of him holding her back. 

But my hips have missed your hips

This line follows the dancing motif present throughout the song. She misses the feelings she used to have when he was around.

So let's get to know the kicks
Will you sway with me?
Go astray with me?

She wants to dance with her lover (again linking to the dance motif in the song) and the reference to leading him astray is her way of testing his devotion to her. Will he follow her into what he knows is wrong out of his love for her?

King and Queen of the weekend

Ain't a pill that could touch our rush

But what will we do when we're sober?

When you dream with the fever

Bet you wish you could touch our rush

But what will we do when we're sober?

Here, Lorde states that the feeling of dancing with the boy she likes is even better than the rush of a drug or a wild fever dream. It could imply that it is addictive and she will keep coming back for more, that it is unhealthy, however  she feels that when they are sober or in a different environment, the feelings will disappear. 

These are the games of the weekend

We pretend that we just don't care

But we care (but what will we do when we're sober?)

Lorde herself revealed the context to these lyrics: 

"We pretend that we just don’t care, but we care…you like someone so much that you pretend it’s whatever. That was my moment of being like, ‘Ugh, come on! It’s so fun, but what’s happening?’ Because you do care. Everyone always cares when they say they don’t."The games she references are specifically the mind games that they play with each other. 

When you dream with the fever

Bet you wish you could touch our rush

But what will we do when we're sober?

Oh God, I'm closing my teeth
Around this liquor-wet lime,

Lorde is taking shots, as limes are associated usually with tequila (the bitterness of the lime gets rid of the strong taste of the alcohol). Perhaps she regrets this or feels anxious because of her exclamation at the start of the verse. It implies that things started happening before she had a chance to collect herself or stop them, and she feels out of control.

Midnight, lose my mind
I know you're feeling it too
Can we keep up with the ruse?

She is aware that the connection between her and the boy she likes is beginning to fade and that her happiness is false.

Ah ah (hey)
B-bodies all through my house

Lorde sees everyone in her home (presumably at a party she is having) as 'bodies' rather than people. This is because she feels overwhelmed by their presence and sees them as obstacles or objects in her way, invading her space.

I know this story by heart
Jack and Jill got fucked up and possessive
When they get dark

Jack and Jill is a children's story where a girl and a boy named Jack and Jill fall down a hill and injure themselves. In Lorde's version of Jack and Jill, their misfortune rather than falling down a hill is becoming trapped in an emotionally manipulative relationship.

But my hips have missed your hips
So let's get to know the kicks
Will you sway with me?
Go astray with me?

King and Queen of the weekend
Ain't a pill that could touch our rush
But what will we do when we're sober?
When you dream with the fever
Bet you wish you could touch our rush
But what will we do when we're sober?
These are the games of the weekend
We pretend that we just don't care
But we care (but what will we do when we're sober?)
When you dream with the fever
Bet you wish you could touch our rush
But what will we do when we're sober?

Midnight, we’re fading
'Till daylight, we’re jaded
We know that it’s over

She is becoming more aware as the night wears on that the connection with the boy in the song is fading because she doesn't really want to be in a relationship with him-- only when she is drunk does she feel attracted to him.

In the morning, you'll be dancing with all the heartache

He will suffer a hangover and perhaps also an emotional hangover from knowing that none of what he felt was real.

And the treason, the fantasies of leaving

The betrayal of your country or of something that is your own. It was seen as one of the worst crimes and was punishable by death.

But we know that, when it's over
In the morning, you'll be dancing with us
Oh, dancing with us, oh, you'll be dancing with us

Partying has become a habit, and endless cycle that he can't break out of.

(Can you feel it, can you, can you)
Dancing with us, us (but what will we do when we're sober?)

When you get to my high (limelight, lose my mind)
When you get to my (limelight, lose my mind)