DRIFTING by NF Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Depths of NF’s Self-Reflection and Vulnerability
Lyrics
Watchin’ the world go ’round
World go, yeah (world go, yeah)
Listening
To unfamiliar feelings and unknown sounds
Unknown sounds, unknown sounds
Slippin’ through my fingertips (ayy), lingerin’
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, where’d I put the pen? (Woah)
Make a list of all my failed attempts, runnin’ out of space again
Highlight all the things I wish I never said (stop)
If feeling makes you stronger, I’m the weakest
That would mean that I would have to separate from my beliefs
It’s not a secret, I’m a puzzle, got a lot of missin’ pieces
Underneath this strong persona I put on’s a kid that’s screamin’
Aren’t these waters so deceivin’? (So deceivin’)
They look different, don’t they?
Well, at least that’s how they seem to me
‘Cause we just drift and drift and drift
Until we see something that we define as peaceful
Grab the needle, shoot reminders in my veins
That people leave you while I’m driftin’
Watchin’ the world go ’round
World go, yeah (world go, yeah)
Listening
To unfamiliar feelings and unknown sounds
Unknown sounds, unknown sounds
Lots of gossip, I’ve been watchin’ you
How you’re talkin’ to yourself is rude
Driftin’, I’m in the same boat as you
Sinkin’, dreamin’, screamin’ for some truth
And (my, my) escalator’s broke, I’ll take the stairs, I guess
Climb until I’m outta breath, questioning my every step (whoa)
My train of thought is leading me to different tracks
Positive that where I’m at is not where I should stay and that’s (why)
Told you look into the mirror and say, “I love you”
Convince yourself that no one in the world would ever want to
Passin’ by the people that have been there to support you
From the get-go, disrespectful, drive you mental
Might get stressful when I’m driftin’
I see you in the distance
Askin’ me why I’m so distant, I’m convicted
I’m convinced that I predict that all my wishes on my wish list won’t be heard
‘Cause I’m committed to the lie that feeling safe is unrealistic
When I’m driftin’
Watchin’ the world go ’round
World go, yeah (world go, yeah)
Listening
To unfamiliar feelings and unknown sounds
Unknown sounds, unknown sounds
Ignorant to my ignorance
Tell me I’m worth it, God
Give me the faith to rise and help me diversify
To take a step forward, immersed in my belligerence, amplified
The feelings and words collide
Intensified by living a life deprived
I’d rather be burned alive
Than go back to thinkin’ I’m insignificant (insignificant)
Every impotent moment debated can trigger it
God is my witness definitive
Holdin’ my head up, there isn’t an innocent bone in my body
But that’s what gives me the energy lacked
To renovate, have to innovate, past intimidates
Can’t remain afraid
In the fabric of modern hip-hop, few artists weave threads of raw vulnerability quite like NF. The song ‘DRIFTING’ becomes a floating island in the vast sea of his discography, one where the waves of introspection crash heavily against the sands of deep self-analysis.
This charting course into the mind of NF reveals a journey through internal conflict, self-doubt, and the quest for purpose amidst chaos. It’s an exploration of dark waters, where clarity is sought after amongst the swaying tides of life’s relentless drift.
A Voyage Through Emotional Torrents
The song’s chorus, simplistic in structure yet profound in delivery, acts like an echo from a distant lighthouse, warning travelers of the emotional maelstrom ahead. The repetition of ‘Watchin’ the world go ’round’ depicts a sense of stagnation—as if the artist is a spectator to his own life, paralyzed by the ceaseless current of time and events passing him by.
It’s within these ‘unfamiliar feelings and unknown sounds’ that NF finds himself—an auditory manifest of the inner conflict that arises when facing the alien components of our own psyche. The juxtaposition of watching and listening indicates a passive experience, suggesting that understanding and engaging with these emotions is a struggle.
The Paradox of Strength in Vulnerability
Within the lines, ‘If feeling makes you stronger, I’m the weakest,’ lies a dichotomy central to NF’s discourse. Here, he reveals a susceptibility that contradicts societal norms which often equate emotional openness with weakness. NF suggests that embracing such vulnerability might, in fact, be the truest form of strength.
The artist lays bare his inner turmoil, admitting to compartmentalizing his beliefs and the ‘missin’ pieces’ of his psyche. The admission that beneath his ‘strong persona’ lies ‘a kid that’s screamin” is profoundly relatable, striking a chord with anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by their own armor.
The Drift: A Metaphor for Escapism and Isolation
‘Cause we just drift and drift and drift,’ these words serve as a recurring motif for the feelings of disconnection NF battles. The drift becomes a metaphor for the way we navigate life, often feeling directionless or lost at sea, searching desperately for anything that resembles peace.
NF’s reference to using a needle to ‘shoot reminders in my veins that people leave you while I’m driftin” evokes the extreme measures one might resort to in order to feel anchored when adrift in the vast emptiness of emotional detachment. It’s a glimpse into the coping mechanisms used when solid ground feels like a myth.
Diving into the Waters of the Subconscious
One cannot ignore the song’s allusion to self-talk, especially when NF mentions how it can be ‘rude’. He acknowledges that the conversations we have with ourselves in moments of solitude can be harsh and unforgiving. This unfurls another layer of ‘DRIFTING’—the conflict between the self we present to the world and the self we confront in silence.
The obstacles he narrates—’escalator’s broke, I’ll take the stairs, I guess’ and the ‘train of thought’ leading to ‘different tracks’—are representations of the struggles we face when our plans derail, and the mental stamina required to persevere and find new directions.
A Call to the Divine amidst Self-Doubt
In a poignant cry for validation, NF implores a higher power, ‘Tell me I’m worth it, God,’ laying the groundwork for an exploration of faith amidst the darkness. This vulnerable plea for divine reassurance is as much a call to the heavens as it is an inward plea for self-worth and courage.
As NF wrestles with a life ‘deprived’ and the significance of his own existence, his defiance against a sense of insignificance becomes a defining battle cry. Despite the scars of his past and fears of being insignificant, he clings to a transformative hope that even the most fragmented among us can seek renovation and fearlessly undertake the journey toward self-reclamation.
