Wolf, by AlicebanD

Lyricos Exploratio ꞮꞮ

Link to the song
Lyrics to the song

The Band: AlicebanD

Piano heavy and atmospheric, AlicebanD captures an evocative aesthetic. Led by Alice Walker, their music weaves together themes of theology, romance, loss, and hope.

The Song: Wolf

Key Lyric Section-

But the one half sees what the other half’s got
Sometimes I feel like I’d rather just rot
And I know that there are better people
I know that they smell nice
Know that I am taken but I’d probably take advice
From the other girl looks better with her cheap tights on—
What you gonna look like when your love is gone?

A song about failed love, Wolf examines a relationship in which one partner sees the flaws in the other, yet stays. The first line implies that the singer recognizes her own value, understands what her “other half” (her partner) has with her, but decides to rot in the relationship rather than seek out someone else.

The latter half of the song is foggier. One interpretation is that the singer is looking for style advice, possibly to make her partner think higher of herself, but that seems too surface level to me. I suspect a better interpretation is that the singer is jealous of other people for their surface level successes, and is projecting her own insecurities onto them. By asking what this other girl will look like after she’s lost her love, I suspect the singer is actually trying to make herself feel better via denigrating others.

I am confident the song was made with self awareness, as Alice Walker has shown a deft hand writing irony in other songs. As a result, even thought interpretation of this song is difficult, I believe one should at least seek to dive below surface level reads.

Next Post Scheduled: Lyricos Exploratio ꞮꞮꞮ: Sing About Love, by Chumbawamba