Bad Things by Cults Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling The Dark Embrace of Destiny
Lyrics
And you’ll find yourself praying up to Heaven above
But honestly I never had much sympathy
‘Cause those bad things, I always saw them coming for me
I’m gonna run, run away, run, run away, run away
Run away and never come back
Run, run away, run, run away, run away
Show ’em that your color is black
Bad things happen to the people you love
And you’ll find yourself praying up to Heaven above
But honestly I never had much sympathy
‘Cause those bad things, I always saw them coming for me
It would take some time just to see me shine
For the whole world to see me here in all of my light
But honestly I’ve given up on all the fight
‘Til one day I’ll have you here wrapped up in my light
I’m gonna run, run away, run, run away, run away
Run away and never come back
Run, run away, run, run away, run away
Show ’em that your color is black
I’m gonna run, run away, run, run away, run away
Run away and never come back
Run, run away, run, run away, run away
Show ’em that your color is black
(I don’t think we should sit here)
(And take any more time for our children to be endangered)
(For if they come after our children and we give them our children)
(Then our children will suffer forever)
(You had to be honest and you stayed)
(If you’d have wanted to run, you’d have had to run with them)
(Because anybody coulda run today, they would have wanted to)
(I know you’re not a runner and your life is precious to me)
(It’s as precious as John’s)
(And I, and I don’t, what I do, I do with weight and justice and judgment)
Bad things happen to the people you love
And you’ll find yourself praying up to Heaven above
But honestly I never had much sympathy
‘Cause those bad things, I always saw them coming for me
Bad things happen to the people you love
And you’ll find yourself calling up to Heaven above
But honestly I never had much sympathy
‘Cause next time you’re praying, you’ll be praying for me
In the vast constellation of contemporary music, few songs shine with the raw clarity and emotional tumult found in Cults’ haunting track ‘Bad Things.’ The enigmatic indie-pop duo has always been known for their ability to craft lyrics that resonate with an energy felt in the pit of the listener’s stomach, and ‘Bad Things’ is no exception.
A labyrinthine narrative of fatalism and the colors we choose to display in life paint the audial canvas in ‘Bad Things,’ a concept that has tantalized and teased the minds of listeners. In dissecting this mesmerizing track, the existential quandary of accepting fate or fleeing from it becomes stark, laying bare a chilling introspection.
A Predestined Predicament: The Inevitability in ‘Bad Things’
The opening lines, ‘Bad things happen to the people you love / And you’ll find yourself praying up to Heaven above,’ presage a song suffused with fatalism. It’s a psychological mire that poses a deceptively simple question—one of passive acceptance or active resistance. To what extent are the bad things in life preordained, and if they are, what’s our role in facing them?
Cults enigmatically suggest an awareness, a pre-cognitive sense of these ill-tidings. There’s a throbbing undercurrent of cynicism and apathy, perhaps even self-preservation, in relinquishing sympathy for those who suffer, as the lyrics reveal a heart all too familiar with pain, ‘Cause those bad things, I always saw them coming for me.’
The Flight Response: A Palette of Shadows
The repeated chorus, ‘I’m gonna run, run away, run, run away, run away,’ isn’t just a catchy hook—it’s an anthem of escape. It’s a deliberate declaration of choosing flight over fight, of abandoning the battlefield for the sake of self-preservation. Yet, in insisting that their ‘color is black,’ the band might hint at the darkness we all harbor, challenging the stigmatization of darkness as negativity.
Furthermore, the act of running away, often viewed with contempt as an act of cowardice, is here painted as an act of autonomy and self-care, shattering the traditional dichotomy between bravery and flight.
When the Fight Leaves: A Submission to the Void
In the midst of the track, there’s an emotive switch from defensively foreseeing harm to a weary resignation. The lines, ‘But honestly I’ve given up on all the fight / ‘Til one day I’ll have you here wrapped up in my light,’ portray the juxtaposition of defeat and hopeful aspiration. It’s a murky middle-ground—a ceasefire where the battle-weary soldier dreams of a distant day of victory.
The ambiguous ‘you’ the lyrics speak to could represent another person, a fragment of the self, or even the ideal of happiness. Whichever it is, the notion of being ‘wrapped up in my light’ serves as a rare moment of optimism in an otherwise existential piece.
Whispers of Revolt: The Spoken Word Interlude
One cannot overlook the harrowing spoken word sampled in the middle of ‘Bad Things.’ The source material shapes the song’s meaning profoundly, hurling it from a personal tale into a communal nightmare. It references a cataclysmic event, a protective stance, and a commitment that infers the lines between right, wrong, and necessity have been blurred beyond recognition.
The words ‘If you’d have wanted to run, you’d have had to run with them’ resonate with a poignant clarity, suggesting that escape—should one choose it—is not a solitary endeavor. It requires solidarity and, at times, sacrifice.
The Echoes That Haunt: Most Resonant Lyrics
‘Bad things happen to the people you love / But honestly I never had much sympathy,’ these lines reverberate long after the song concludes, encapsulating the crux of human struggle. It’s a chilling admission of emotional insularity out of perceived necessity, and it masterfully captures the inherent conflict of the human condition—our need to connect and our instinct to protect ourselves.
By circling back to these lines in the closing of the song, ‘Bad Things’ ends as it began—with a disquieting truism that challenges the listener to confront their own relationship with misfortune, empathy, and the inexorable tide of fate.
