My new favorite song is a studio version of "Bad Habit" by the British Band, Foals. Listen to it here:
"Bad Habit" Lyrics (thanks to SongMeanings.com):
I know, You've fallen again. The way I fell before. Cause I'm a bad loser, When you get your way. And I know that I'll change. I'm chained again. You've lost your way. There's nothing I want today. Cause I'm a bad habit. One you cannot shake. And I hope that I change. Don't follow me. Don't follow me. So I wont, let the flowers grow, Into the deep below. Oh, would you forget me now? Still small. Small voice of calm. It's the blame into my arms. Cause I'm a bad habit. One you cannot shake. Oh, Mary, mercy! Would you pray for me? Would you pray for me? So I won't, Let the flowers grow, Into the deep below. Oh, would you forget me now? And if I could, Make the days of pain. Wash the stains away. Oh, would you forget me now? Ahhhh! (x2) Cause I made my mistakes. And I feel something's changed. And I know what's at stake. Wash the stains away... So I won''t, Let the flowers grow, Into the deep below. Oh, would you forget me now? And if I could, Take the pain away. Wash the stains away. Oh, would you forgive me now? I made my mistakes. And I feel something's changed. Wash the stains away. And I feel quite okay. |
Even with the plethora of music sites these days, it can be hard to find the verifiably correct lyrics for a given song. Many of the sites just seem to copy the lyrics from each other, so even versions that might match may just be all incorrect copies.
Given that, I think it's interesting to play with the meaning of the lyrics - after all, the experience of listening to music is as much about listener as the performer. In other words, what does the music mean to you? What do you hear? The song is clearly about identifying as a bad habit, either as a significant other in a bad relationship, or simply personifying what a bad habit might sing. I prefer the latter interpretation. I think an alternative to the chorus could be: So if I go where the flowers grow. Into the deep below. Oh, would you forgive me now? Either way, you can really hear the singer crying to make amends: yearning for change, pleading not to follow him, taking away the days of pain, wash away the stains away, admitting mistakes, knowing what's a stake, etc. Then the song ends on an almost haunting yet hopeful note, where the singers expresses feeling quite OK. There are some interesting interpretations on SongMeanings.com. One commenter says the song is about an addiction that is bringing down the relationship between two people. If this is the case, "feeling okay" at the end may not be as hopeful, since without going through the 12-step process there is a good chance of relapse. The singer is certainly crying out for help, most notably in the Hail Mary reference. Another commenter also notes that "a still small voice" come from 1 Kings, when Elijah hears the voice of God not in the earthquake or wind or fire, but in the whisper or silence afterwards. In all of these interpretations, the singer's pleading voice remains - for forgiveness, for redemption, for a way to change and no longer be chained (I love the wordplay!). May it be so. |
The lead singer Yannis Philippakis comments on the overall tone of their recent album, Holy Fire, in which the fully-produced version of "Bad Habit" appears on Track 4:
I wanted to feel uncomfortable when I was listening back to [the lyrics]; I wanted to squirm. [....]
I'm taking a bath in my guilt, but there's a redemptive purpose to that. [....]
I feel like a middle-aged woman who's just gone through a divorce, and she's looking in the mirror and is OK with herself.
Read the full Pitchfork interview here.
Get the album or the fully-produced song on Amazon. (I haven't been able to find the YouTube video studio recording of the song for purchase yet.) |
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