"Big God" by Florence + the Machine Is SOO DEEP | Lyrics Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- "Big God's" lyrics have a deep meaning, and I think you'll enjoy this explanation of Florence + the Machine's song!
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The content of this educational video is covered by fair use. My explanations are transformative and add interpretation and analysis to the original work much as happens when I teach poetry in a university classroom. When I explain songs, I use only the lyrics or short clips of the original song or music video and do not hurt the song’s salability or provided a market substitute. All copyright claims will be disputed and appealed. Please see me as your ally in my attempt to use a literary perspective to enable fans to better understand and enjoy your wonderful and interesting piece of music.
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Oh Florence, text me. I'll never ghost you
MarianaMildemberger 😂
th-cam.com/video/ahb1KHeNFT8/w-d-xo.html
Okay, who TF is ghosting Florence??
I am wondering the exact same thing HAHA
jesus
FLORENCE IS SUCH A ARTISTIC GODDESS WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE HER?!
Amen.
Maybe you got self-absorbed.
AN* artistic goddess...
Jacob Florence
When we meet god we shall ask him.
When I first watched her music video for Big God, I interpreted the line "to my messages, you do not reply" as her praying to God and not recieving any sort of message back and no answers to her prayers. She's had lots of religious themes throughout her other songs in the past, I didn't think it was about LITERAL messages on a phone at first! lol
ᴀʟɪᴄᴇ me too!
Samee
Teresa Blosser ... what?
That's also what I thought!!
Me too. I thought it was about how people are relying on religion to fill the holes in their life.
I think this song is an amazing example of how great Florence is at song writing. This song was written about one thing, but is so deep and can be interpreted in so many ways depending on how the listener is feeling/has experienced. When I first listened to it yesterday I took it much more literally and applied it to my constant struggle with my faith and what I believe in. I'm in love with the new album so far and can't wait to see what else you have to say as singles come out!
Trinity Sheppard I love her songs too and I think everyone can interpret it as they want as long as they dont claim to know more about it than the artist itself, I also like that it has an implied religious touch while still applying to religious and science based people🌸
Same experience ❤
You miss that a big part of the weight of the song comes from the borrowed Judeo-Christian language and imagery. Christians talk about their god being big enough or the only thing big enough to fill the void inside all humans. Often describing the same idea Florence is expressing as a “God shaped hole.” Then the “Jesus Christ it hurts” line takes on a double meaning. Using Jesus both as just a slang term emphasizing how bad it is but also playing back to that idea of Jesus being a “big God.” There is also imagery in the Bible talking about mountains being moved or thrown into the sea through faith. Another borrowed imagery that really anchors the song in the powerful mythos surrounding judeo-Christian religious beliefs. Super cool son and great insight.
Yeah, I agree. I didn't really think it was about a person who ghosted her in a romantic sense, as much as it was a woman's search for any sort of divinity and the consequent freeing of the self from the divine. I do absolutely think a romantic/interpersonal reading can be layered over top of the religious one (and should be).
"Witches' Flight" supports the idea of subverting the search for religion in favor of creative yet rational critique of the divine (and the condemnation of systems that violate the human in pursuit of an unseen void).
The Judeo-Christian imagery is hard to ignore. From Florence Welch's own reference to herself as "a [B]east" to the landscape references, apocryphal language, and references to God, Ghosts etc.-- it seems important to avoid dismissing the religious language.
As mentioned, I think this can be doubly read as a romantic relationship (and its failure), as well as a search for some sort of God. It's a deconstruction of masculine systems in favor of the subversive, untethered feminine. Reading God, Jesus, and a romantic lover as one-in-the-same is pretty powerful. A secular message, delivered with religious imagery, can be multilayered.
Anyways. My two cents. Multiple perspectives make critical media interesting.
not to mention their walking on water. i was hoping this video would be talking about the prevalence of religious imagery in the music video.
Jup, also Florence's general belief in Saints, Jesus and God. I feel like he somehow leaves the most obvious out and says like "she finds that in herself" to make it fit to his beliefs and most people's beliefs. It's true that she finds them in herself, but with the support of the "Big God". The song has perhaps a double meaning because Florence performs witchy rituals, believes in saints etc. and is spiritual. Therefore, the song probably has also a connection to religion...
I MADE THE THING th-cam.com/video/wuN2uJFTAKc/w-d-xo.html
I love your explanation of this song. Yes, it is an art piece. I read the comments on the music video itself and I saw some people saying they didn't like this quieter Florence, meaning they wanted the loud, full band and orchestra Florence from Between Two Lungs and Ceremonials. And yes, those are great albums and have many great songs on them, I love this more raw Florence too. It's more personal, like she is letting us get to know her and relate to her more. Yes, I love loud Florence, its fun and like a battle cry, but this quiet stuff she is putting out is soul-jarring. And to all those people who are like "we want old Florence back", you don't know art even if it hit you upside the head. Remember Nickelback? Yeah? If all we got was loud Florence she would get boring and unoriginal. Let the woman be an artist and explore all her voices and sounds, piano and forte. Art is not dead.
I love this reply and I concur. Ceremonials felt like a ceremony. Bombastic chanting, deafening instrumentals and sort of biblical proportion songs. I loved it. HBHBHB felt sad and morose, and that's what it needed to be. It was an album about heartbreak and it was perfection. I relate to it so much. but HAH is sooooo beautiful and light yet heatbreaking. it feels like beautiful solitude. as if she wrote the songs while living alone in an apartment, going out and getting drunk, coming back and letting her emotions spill. it feels less bombastic because i think that's where she's at. this beautiful, soft and fragile place. i adore this album.
I feel like HAH is a marriage between HBHBHB and Ceremonials. It's powerful yet subtle, it's soft yet clean cut. Can't really describe it but HAH is just well executed in my opinion. I adore this album too!
I gotta say I love seeing her evolve , give me all of it .
Jacqueline Grady I JUST SAW HER IN HOUSTON AND WHAT I WANT TO SAY I AAAAAAYYYYYF-CKINGMEN!!!!!!
I took it one step further in my interpretation. As someone recently widowed, I am blessed to be able to continue to have a relationship with my deceased husband either through signs or through visits and communication in my dreams. However, it's also frustrating as being in love with someone who's now a ghost that it's so difficult to have regular contact with him. This long distance relationship of epic proportions is nothing short of crazy.
The second you read Florence's inspiration for the song, I felt SO called out....I know that deep cavernous feeling so badly x'D
Edit: her looking to herself to try and find herself and become more healthy psychologically is exactly what I'm going through right now, wtf...Florence is such a QUEEN.
Welp. I’m officially obsessed with your analytical approach to song lyrics. I love picking ever single song apart and now I just found an entire channel dedicated to it. #happyday #goldmine
Omg! I follow your channel! Love your soaps and inspired me to start a bath bomb and soap company!
the music video kind of was witchey in a way especially when they started to float it was amazing i loved it!
Jacob Florence witches flight -Goya... google it. Pretty kool
Eh, it creeper me out. Reminded me too much of the Conjuring. Rest of it was okay.
This song is so beautiful! i can't stop listening to it since it dropped
I never really listened to Florence and the Machines much, but this song seems really great so I'm gonna go check it out!
You definitely should!
You don’t know what you’re missing!
The end refrain could be reference to Matthew 21:21 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.
Kailee Hougardy Nice catch, Kailee! I knew it sounded familiar. 😅
I’m recently getting into this artist and I must say I love her material. Now, I haven’t listened to his song yet since I don’t wanna spoil the album too much, but just from the title I’m very hyped to listen to it when the entire album drops. And if there’s anything that makes a song or album great to me, it’s lyrical depth.
Hounds Of Love Album - Kate Bush. The most intriguing and intricate lyrical masterpiece I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.
I always listened to "you"ll always be my favorite ghost" as if she were talking about the holy ghost. I'm grateful for a review of this song, thank you! Such a powerful piece !
0:01 I love this video. Thank you
Basically a millennial ballad; iconic.
Can you do Florence’s sky full of song and 100 years please ??? I want moreeee
Maybe get some self esteem first. Then people will pay attention.
Tom V I’m confused, how does my self esteem reflect into a song request of Florence’s song ? And how can you judge someone’s self esteem by a couple words?
Elaborate, kindly?
Those are my two favs from the album! :)
100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years 100 years and patricia
"Its about the power darkness can give you when you embrace your inner beast alone" WOW
Psalm 46:2
the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea
Damn... Deeper than expected... Not even finished with the video yet. Odin and I love you, Cliff, hope you get big. (Odin says you're his Big God)
Odin's belief system seems a little odd... lol
Holy crap, you just rocked my world with this explanation. I feel smarter!
She is a true artist. Love her so much.
A call back to "Ghost" from her first album. Also Ceremonials and HBHBHB have been a transition from water to sky. The reference about the cliff into the sea may prove similar.
Florence's 'SUB-PERSONALITIES'. Our sub personalities. In Florence's case. Getting in touch with her 'inner warrior' Inner sage' inner wise woman'
Thank you sooo much for this explanation! I wake up almost every morning with specific lines of a song or two in my head that is connected to a dream I've had. Today the line was "slide down to the sea" and I couldn't figure it out. After hearing your description it makes complete sense when paired with the main content of the dream 😄
I was waiting for this! ❤️ great video! 👍🏽
I know that she explained the meaning of the song, but I think that at least the chorus could just as well apply to the other person. "Ghosting" could suggest a person's lack of strength in themselves or some kind of void that makes them act this way, that is difficult to make meaning of, and completely undermines what, in some cases, had seemed like a meaningful connection between two people.
That was my first thought too!
She’s so good at capturing the magic that is within us all!
Florence is writing about my life !!! Is amazing to feel so related to a song like Hunger and Big God are talking about it.
The big god video deserves an award
Can you do Florence's "What the water gave me" pleaseeeee
Your first 30 sec explanation is spot on, Florence does that with a lot of her songs! I love how she describes commonplace situations in such artistic and grandiose ways.
Hey Cliff, I don't know if I you only do requests from patreon, but I REALLY would like you to do one of Imagine Dragons' songs from their 1st 2 EPs. I would recommend "Bottle of Coke" or "Pistol Whip". Both of these two songs seem so bizarre without unpacking them, but once you unpack the meaning, the bizarre nature makes so much sense.
Hope you consider it!
Cheers
Florence and machine is the shit...luv them great band
I personally had a different interpretation for when the different parts of herself (The other dancers) are levetated above her near the climax of the song. I saw them more as being executed or sacrifice by being hung together while she was taking over reins for the few secomds they are this way, which to me signifying that her different slivers of herself have to die in order for her true self to be reborn and able to express itself, hence the solo of her without the dancers for that little bit until they come back down to finish their dance for the rest of the song.
The concept of Birth, Death and Rebirth play not only a part in religion but in the grief and healing process of restablishing one's identity as a person. All three themes do play in some role in the song. .
Something similar happened to me. It really sucks how something so mundane, a text, emotionally wrecked me. The lyrics really made sense the more I listened to them. Florence is too good.
My only problem with that song is it doesn't go harder and more hurtful. My despair is louder than that.
We all make some sense out of a lot of songs but you go BIG through explaining them and personaly it helps me so much to understand better some of my favourite artists!!!
Thank you! ❤❤
The song was a lot deeper to me when I thought she was talking directly to "god" calling him her favorite ghost as though he does not exist. You saying it is about texting makes it see seem way lame and shallow. I think perhaps this song has multiple layered interpretations as great lyrics often do.
The whole new album by Florence is just amazing. Btw, could you explain "White Foxes" by Susanne Sundfør?
i know this may not be the most according comparison, but (loving these both women) the change from the distressed and solemn 'hbhbhb' to this light-hearted, classic 'hah' reminds me of the transition from lana del rey's b&w 'ultraviolence' to loving and carefree 'honeymoon'.
i feel the growth florence went through both albums musically, but i can not stop noticing as well how she grew internally to let her express herself in this raw way.
This was great and gave me a whole new perspective on the lyrics! I don't know how you would've fit it in, but one thing the director said about the video that stuck out the most to me was how it reflected that when a group of women would band together in history, they would be referred to as a coven of witches, much like the ones in the painting you showed. Dunno, somehow I found that detail cool and oddly empowering. If 20 other people already talked about in the comments then I'm sorry guys
Great video. Definitely subbed
Amazing video and description! Thank you.
I loved your video!!! Amazing! Thanks for sharing it!
Thx for the explanation! Amazing song and music video!
The music video, big God, is absolutely awesome. I've never seen a woman dance so beautifully. She is our absolute musical goddess, here in the UK. Long may she reign.xxxx
Yaaaaas Florence Welch is my favourite singer ever!
I hear in she includes Jesus in her lyrics because she's seeking help to fill her void. Calling out! Which is first step. Song tells me her struggle to release is working with Jesus to get over the void. Thanks for video!
No guy, i think that song does not talk about the relationship with a love, but with God, she is going through a difficult time makes her requests at night, but he does not respond, so she is seeing no way out, I see a song as a question, example, I believe in God but so many things hurt me and I ask for your help but it seems that I was not helped. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you read the song it makes more sense thinking on this side.
I agree completely!
You forgot to directly mention the colors. I thought they represented her emotions and she was wearing white because white can turn to any of those colors easily.
I was really hoping this video was going to be an analysis's of the religious iconography within the music video. Stuff like the women literally walking on water, bowing their heads, being barefoot. One of the biggest religious symbols are the gigantic head to toe veils, This song might be about relationships but it is also most definitely about religion.
This is incredible!! Thank you!
You have no idea how patiently I've been waiting on this video.
Please help us explain Aurora's songs.. they're so mysterious. Also, her songs are somehow connected.
I love that frame about lyrics in the background
Totally not how I interpret it. For me it looks like she was in a relationship with someone who is very religious and "holier than though" but, treats her like shit. She says that he needs a big god to fill the void in his heart because he treats others badly. The last verse: "Shower your affection, let it rain on me And pull down the mountain, draw your cities to the sea" - he should maybe not think of those grand ideas and just take care of her instead. Hypocricy in faith. - Think about it.
Jarek Bullfinch exactly how I interpreted it.
At the cores she's not talking about a person... she's talking about her belief. It could be a dude from a physical perspective but she's projecting on something bigger than any man she's been with. Men are just background noise to her belief system. This is in her heart. She's struggling as most humans do to find her passion. She's asking the simplest question... Why me God? If you're real, present yourself.
I love your interpretation of this song. I can relate to this meaning.
I love this Florence.
Vulnerable and raw.
Wow, stumbled upon this and really like your channel!
Cannot wait for the whole album, it takes me like a month to analyze her albums jajajaja
This could not have come at a better time. I would never want for someone to feel that void in themselves, but if you do; I hope you find the beauty in yourself to make yourself be whole.
I didn’t know it was about being ghosted, now it’s so much more relatable
Hi there. I love your videos. Stay awesome. You gained a new subscriber. Thank you for posting great and interesting content .
Just like, do her whole High As Hope album because it's just....It got me deep in my feelings.
the mv for 'big God' reminded me of fka twigs SO FREAKING MUCH
It's probably my favorite off the album, although I really love Patricia, 100 Years, and Hunger, too (and the rest of the album, but I like those particularly).
I had a feeling this was about ghosting! But wow this is so awesome brb gonna binge ur vids
oh i thought it was about the fallen angels the heavy judgement and the painful redemtive process. its just about texting and shalow vanity. cool. i can go bak 2 sleep
Nice! I’m subscribed now
It makes sense, she uses religious themes to aggrandize seemingly commonplace things like being hungover as shaking off demons in Shake It Off. Also she is not religious guys, so please don't read into it in that way. She uses it in an unconventional way though, but its very interesting.
The channel we didn't know we needed
💕💕My queen only writes deep songs that’s why I’m in love with her 💕💕
Thank You
I really enjoyed this, would love to see some more explanations of that album. Songs such as 100 years maybe?
okay now that i have this explained i like this song even more
A great song with a great video. Reminds me of old mtv videos.
wow i cant believe
Please do Frank Ocean!!!
yes yes yes yes please do frank ocean plzzzzz
...yes
I see the visual correlation with ballet Giselle in the video (which is also logical considering Akram Khan is the choreographer).
also if you havent please do lady gaga !!! :D
I can't stop watching this explanation, I love everything about it!!! I would love if you could please explain Gorillaz' Fire flies, it would be awesome. Thank you for your work, it's great!
If you think about it, she is in love with a (Holy) Ghost, needs a big God to fill the void in her heart, and is claiming at Jesus to take her pain away... The lyrics kinda summon the holy trinity, but the video is waaay opposite. It's a group of women wearing the colours of the rainbow (representing minorities, maybe?), dancing above the water (women taking the place of Jesus) around a single woman (who's in the central spot in the void, spot that the lyrics designed for God himself). So if you join these two, the lyrics and the video, you'll have a masterpiece about finding love within yourself that uses religion as background for forms of love who are considered unholy. When I thought about it I fell even more in love with this song/video
I love the meaning behind it ❤️
do some of her older songs
YES FLORENCE + THE MACHINE!
I see a Twenty Øne pilots reference in the wall and i love it
What a beautiful mind you have! I’m jealous!!!
Notif squad once again
can someone tell me the explanation? I'm not so good at listening to the English language 🙁
Someone did not answer her phone message and she is upset about it, but also she understands that she has a need/desire that is much bigger than that and needs a big god (not a man) to fill it or give her what she needs. The black in the video is this space, this hole in her spirit and the dancers are pieces of herself as she finds a way to fix herself and move on. It is based on a painting by Goya about witches flying to their sabbath or meeting. Witches are usually connected to desire and darkness and wanting things you shouldn't or that are bad for you and doing anything to get them. Hope this helps a little.
thank you, you are very kind. It is very helpful for me
Glad I could help
Masterpice❤
Very interesting! Although, the background music is a little bit too loud and distracting.
Can you do some lana del rey video breakdowns?
Lastn't
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Artists don't always tell the truth about what their lyrics mean. .... On first listen, I got the impression this song is about the death of someone full of love whom she misses a lot. ... Listen again, in that context, and maybe you'll hear it too. ... If she wasn't talking about death of a loved one, instead of what this guy ^ suggests, she certainly could have been.
I´m literally watching this in a hostel in Gdansk. The world is small lol