Love Out of Lust by Lykke Li Lyrics Meaning – Embracing Transient Passion
Lyrics
Rather die hard, than die hollow
The higher that I climb
The deeper I fall down
I’m running out of time
So let’s dance while we’re waiting
We will live longer than I will
We will be better than I was
We can cross rivers with our will
We can do better than I can
So dance while you can
Dance ’cause you must
Love out of lust
Dance while you can
Rather live out a lie than live wondering
How the fire feels while burning
For life is like a flame
And the ashes for wasting
So honey don’t be afraid
To dance while we’re waiting
We will live longer than I will
We will be better than I was
We can cross rivers without wind
We can do better than I can
So dance while you can
Dance ’cause you must
Love out of lust
Dance while you can
So tired of waiting
Come baby
So tired of waiting
Come baby
We will live longer than I will
We will be better than I was
We can cross rivers with our will
We can do better than I can
We will live longer than I will
We will be better than I was
We can cross rivers with our will
We can do better than I can
So dance while you can
Dance ’cause you must
Love out of lust
So dance while you can
Love out of lust
Love out of lust
Love out of lust
Lykke Li weaves an intricate tapestry of emotion and existential meditation in her haunting ballad ‘Love Out of Lust’. This poignant piece, part of her album ‘Wounded Rhymes’, encapsulates a duality that resonates on a deeply human level—the juxtaposition of impermanence and the intensity of experience. It’s a song that taps into the vein of longing, a yearn for connection in the face of the inevitable march of time.
Through her mesmerizing vocal delivery and the song’s heart-rending melody, Lykke Li invites her listeners into a reflective space. This is not just a song—it’s a contemplation on love, life, and the courage to seize the ephemeral moments with ardor and urgency.
Dancing on the Edge of Time: Carpe Diem Reimagined
Lykke Li’s ‘Love Out of Lust’ serves as a modern-day carpe diem anthem, urging listeners to embrace the present before it slips away. ‘So let’s dance while we’re waiting,’ she beckons, suggesting that in the waiting—perhaps for life’s grander outcomes—there’s a celebration to be had. It’s a dance of defiance against the ticking clock, a spirited rebellion that chooses joy and movement over the weight of unspent time.
This theme runs central to the song’s narrative—revealing that the act of loving, even if born from lust, is a vital response to the certainty of life’s finite nature. Love and lust are presented not as moral opposites but as interconnected fires that can drive one to fully embrace the now.
The Passionate Paradox: Lust as a Path to Love
In an almost oxymoronic fashion, ‘Love Out of Lust’ delves into how pure, consuming love can stem from raw, unbridled lust. ‘Love out of lust’ is not just a catchy refrain; it’s an acknowledgment of lust’s potential to transform into something deeper. Lykke Li plays with the idea that the intensity of lust can be the catalyst for a more profound and passionate form of love—one that captures the urgency and impermanence of life itself.
The song explicitly rejects a life of emotional safety that borders on indifference—’Rather die in your arms, than die lonesome.’ Here, Lykke Li exposes the core human fear of solitude and juxtaposes it with the risk of embracing love that may originate in the volatile grounds of lust.
The Melancholic Melody of Mortality
Beneath its beautiful composition, ‘Love Out of Lust’ is underscored by a haunting acknowledgment of mortality. The recurrent pledges—’We will live longer than I will’—serve as reminders of life’s relentless passage. In contemplating her own transience, Lykke Li vows that the collective ‘we’ might surpass individual limitations, achieving a kind of everlastingness through the bonds we forge.
This existential undertone gifts the song a somber weight, balanced exquisitely with the call to action—’Dance while you can.’ It reminds us that the significance we seek might just be found in the vibrant yet fleeting moments of connection we share with others.
Uncovering the Song’s Hidden Narrative
At a deeper glance, ‘Love Out of Lust’ tells a story of a person standing at the precipice of choice. The implicit narrative isn’t just about the choice between loneliness and love but also represents a broader theme of choosing between a static existence and one brimming with dynamic emotion—even if that brings potential heartbreak.
Lykke Li’s lyrics weave a hidden commentary on the nature of the human spirit—a spirit that craves, despite its vulnerabilities, the warmth of another’s touch and the risk of the unknown. This craving is what propels us into the dance of life, adamant in its refusal to settle for mere ashes when the fire of living can still be felt and kindled.
The Haunting Echo of Memorable Lines
‘Rather live out a lie than live wondering / How the fire feels while burning’—these lines from ‘Love Out of Lust’ resonate long after the song concludes. They serve as a poignant prompt to the listener to not just exist but to feel, engage, and revel in the intensity of life’s experiences.
These lyrics distill the essence of the song’s message: that the alternative to embracing the full spectrum of life—even if it includes an element of self-deception—is far worse, marred by the regret of never having felt life’s burning passions at all. It’s a call to live audaciously, to love fiercely, and to dance with abandon in the face of our ephemeral existence.
