Pretty Things
Lyrics Big Thief

Song facts

"Well the main thing that I'll say without ruining the song is that the chorus is something that I like to focus on as a mantra. "There's a woman inside of me, there's one inside of you too." It comes from a place of wanting to equate femininity with strength. Femininity is not something that is weak or dainty in any way, or pretty even. Femininity is like this energy that is inherent in all things — in men and in women and however you identify. Femininity is there. It's in a leaf. There's this woman that is singing the song, and she's been given this toxic, violent energy from a man. She's talking about how "there's a meeting in my thighs where in thunder and lightning men are baptized in their anger fighting their deceit and lies." It's about feeling like a receiver — someone who receives this anger and this fear and ego-driven toxic poisoning — and being able to see beyond all that [aggression].

But the song is also saying that masculinity shouldn't be equated with violence or aggression. It speaks to both masculine and feminine energies, trying to make some sense of how they can be balanced. In the same sense I could say that there's a man in me that I have masculinity in me. But it's just saying, "OK, that's there," but also this is somebody that has been violated and hurt through experiences with men, but she's really strong and she can see beyond herself. She can see what's happening and witness it in slow motion like she's disassociating from herself but at the same time she's holding this incredible space for humanity, for human beings. That what's being given to her is this sort of violent energy and she's taking that toxicity and transmuting it and putting it back into the person, saying that, "I know at your core there's more, and I am not blind to what's happening." I don't know, now that I am trying to put it into words it is really difficult. There's so many layers [to that song]." - Adrianne Lenker

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