Xo The Host by The Weeknd Lyrics Meaning – Diving Into the Hedonistic Abyss
Lyrics
Blunts to your face, you don’t wanna sing no more
Lost your C notes
Cabbed all day, took the bus back home
Evictions on your door
Blame it on the weed
Blame it on the booze
Blame it on the night life, light’s passin’ you
Yeah just don’t blame it on me
That you wanna come and party, with a nigga like me
‘Cause I get it
You’re built like a Goddess
And it seems like you been stressin’
‘Specially when your nose red
From that K, special Diet Coke you need more bread
now you got no rent
You blow that money, money
You try to window shop
You blow another hundred
She’s fuckin’ goons in the day
Hipster nights downtown
And your daddy don’t know you’re out
If they don’t let you in
You know where to find me
‘Cause if you wanna go again
You can always call me
‘Cause all we ever do is love
Open up ya’ mind, you can find the love
Girl you ain’t alone, we all been alone
Baby just be honest
(Xo) Oh, don’t you forget
(Xo) Don’t you worry ’bout a thing
(Xo) We’ll be everything you need, just believe
(Xo) ay, (XO) ay whoa
I love it when your eyes are red, ah yea
Are you on my cloud yet?
‘Cause I got a brand new cam
Can we video feed, can we POV (oh why)
I wanna catch you at your best ooh
When your hair’s a mess
You look so depressed
And you’re filled with regret
And you feel like you gotta go home oh
‘Cause these nights pass, so much quicker then the days did
Same clothes you ain’t ready for your day shift
But you up you need money for ya’ face lift
Lust over love is ya’ mindset
Waken up with most of ya’ side wet
Another room, you hear your mom cryin’
‘Cause she found your bag stuffed in the laundry
And the Bacardi from the last party
If they won’t let you in
You know where to find me oh
And if you wanna go again
You can always call me
‘Cause all we ever do is love
Open up ya’ mind you can find the love
Girl you ain’t alone, we all been alone
Baby just be honest
(Xo) Ooh, don’t you forget
(Xo) Oh no don’t you worry bout’ a thing
(Xo) Ooh we’ll be everything you need, just believe
(Xo) Yeah ay, (XO) ooh whoa
I need (I need)
I need something from you (something from you)
Oh, there’s so much love to pass around
There’s too much love oh
Girl, the night’s almost done
And who you came with is already gone
You said you want me
But I remember who you are
Girl, it wasn’t long ago
Didn’t think I’d go this far ah
Well I got a test for you
You said you want my heart
Well, baby you can have it all
There’s just something that I
Need from you is to meet my boys
I got a lot of boys
We can make you right
And if you get too high
Baby, come over here and ride it out
Oh, oh, ooh yeah
Ride it out
Oh, oh, whoa yeah
Ride it out
Ride it out
Ooh
Just ride it
Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, has long been synonymous with a poetic darkness that flirts with the outer edges of R&B and pop. ‘Xo The Host,’ a track tucked within the chiaroscuro of ‘Echoes of Silence,’ his third mixtape, is a phantasmagoric soliloquy that merits a deeper listen. It’s a narrative imbued with the inebriated honesty of a 3 a.m. heart-to-heart, anchored in the elusive space between pleasure and pain.
The song’s landscape is a vapor of hedonism and existential angst, painting a vivid story of indulgence, addiction, and the quest for something more profound. Beyond the captivating soundscape lies a mosaic of intimate revelations and raw truths about seeking connection in a world that can often be alienating. Let’s peel back the layers of this aural enigma and dissect the meaning behind the complex tapestry of lyrics that The Weeknd weaves.
Decoding The Path of Excess: A Narrative of Escapism
The song opens up with a haze of substances – ‘Shots of the Henny, bottles of Patron, blunts to your face…’ – The Weeknd doesn’t just paint the picture of excess; he throws us headfirst into its throes. This is a landscape familiar to his audience, one where the protagonist uses drugs and alcohol as a mechanism to escape a reality too tough to swallow.
But as the song continues, we see that what seems like a raucous party is actually a tragic escapade. Each verse is an incremental reveal of the emptiness that underpins this ostensible revelry. The invocation of eviction notices and the alienation from family lay bare the consequences of a life lived on the edge of society’s norms.
Searching for Divinity in the Mortal: The Goddess Metaphor
‘You’re built like a Goddess’ The Weeknd sings, drawing on the imagery of unattainable beauty and strength. Yet even the ‘Goddess’ is not immune to the weaknesses of flesh. Stress, addiction, and financial ruin bleed through her facade, shattering the illusion of perfection.
It’s here that The Weeknd expertly highlights the tension between the ethereal and the corporeal. The Goddess metaphor elevates the subject while simultaneously acknowledging her humanity, her mistakes, and her suffering. It becomes a plea for empathy in the face of judgement, for understanding that even those who seem divine have their demons.
The Chorus of Contradictions: ‘Xo’ as an Axiom of Illusion
The chorus, with its repetitive ‘(Xo) Don’t you worry ’bout a thing,’ stands in stark contrast to the verses’ gritty realism. It’s a mantra of carefree reassurance, promoting a vision of unconditional support and love amidst chaos. But is it genuine, or an ephemeral balm to soothe the pain of the night?
This could be The Weeknd’s own reflection on the duality of human connections, especially in environments dominated by the superficial. Through these lyrics, we’re prompted to question the authenticity of relationships forged in the ephemeral embrace of the night.
The Hidden Meaning Behind the Bacardi and Laundry Bags
To the casual listener, the mention of ‘Bacardi from the last party’ or ‘your bag stuffed in the laundry’ might slip past unnoticed, but these lines are far more than throwaway references to nightlife. They are symbols of a hidden struggle, hints at the baggage of addiction and the attempts to conceal it from those closest to us.
These artifacts are not just physical items; they’re evidence of a life bifurcated between the presented self and the concealed, true self. For the protagonist and perhaps for The Weeknd himself, such symbols serve as reminders that our secrets often find a way of surfacing, painfully and inevitably.
Echoing the Refrain: The Most Memorable Lines
‘But you up you need money for ya’ face lift / Lust over love is ya’ mindset.’ In these lines, The Weeknd encapsulates the essence of his subject’s inner turmoil. There’s a yearning for something transformational, a dream to transcend the mundane.
Memorable not only for their vivid imagery but also for their heartbreaking honesty, these lines remind us that beyond the temporary highs of lust and luxury, many are searching for a lasting connection, a love that will endure once the party has ended and the guests have departed.
