Running Up That Hill by Chromatics Lyrics Meaning – Untangling the Emotional Labyrinth
Lyrics
But you want to feel how it feels?
But you want to know, that it didn’t hurt me?
But you wanna hear about the deal I’m making
You
You and me
You and me, won’t be unhappy
And if I only could
Make a deal with God
Get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
Do you want to hurt me
See how deep the bullet lies
Unaware I’m tearing you asunder
There’s a thunder in our hearts
Why is there so much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?
You
You and me
You and me, won’t be unhappy
And if I only could
Make a deal with God
And get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
If I only could
Make a deal with God
I’d get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
No poblems
You
You and me
You and me, won’t be unhappy
C’mon baby, c’mon c’mon darling
Let me steal this moment from you now
C’mon angel, c’mon c’mon, darling
Let’s exchange the experience
And if I only could
Make a deal with God
I’d get him to swap our places
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building, ooh
And if I only could
C’mon baby, c’mon c’mon darling
Let me steal this moment from you now
C’mon angel, c’mon c’mon, darling
Let’s exchange the experience
C’mon baby, c’mon c’mon darling
Let me steal this moment from you now
C’mon angel, c’mon c’mon, darling
Let’s exchange the experience
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Be running up that road
Be running up that hill
Be running up that building
With no problems
Chromatics, known for their atmospheric sound and moody synth-pop, have plumbed the depths of human emotion with their cover of ‘Running Up That Hill.’ The song, a cover of Kate Bush’s 1985 hit, resonates with an otherworldly blend of nostalgia and contemporary gloom. At once haunting and invigorating, the song applies the band’s signature ethereal touch to this classic, peeling back layers of innate longing and spiritual bargaining.
The song masterfully navigates the terrain of yearning, empathy, and the hypotheticals that we bend around our most intimate relationships. It’s easy to get lost in its hypnotic allure, but the true mastery of this cover lies in its layered bring-out of a poignant message: the desperate desire to swap places with a loved one to understand, to connect, and to alleviate mutual suffering.
A Pact Beyond the Physical: Empathy in Melody
The throbbing pulse of ‘Running Up That Hill’ spins a yarn of empathetic depth that borders on the divine, begging the listener to entertain the impossible – a deal with God. The song is not a simple plea for mutual understanding but a full-body immersion into the soul of another. Chromatics turn these yearnings set against an implacable synth landscape, breeding a soundscape where empathy touches the celestial.
Music often speaks to intangible emotions, but here it grapples with the tangible ‘what if’ scenarios that haunt human connection. The lyrics form an intricate dance between wanting to know another’s pain (‘But you want to feel how it feels?’) and the driving impulse to reach an unattainable level of communion with a loved one (‘Be running up that building’).
The Thunderous Beat of Conflicted Hearts
Chromatics amplify the ‘thunder in our hearts’ with each resonating beat, mirroring the tumultuous inner chaos of relationships strained under the weight of misunderstanding. The raw vulnerability of the lyrics paired with the atmospheric production invokes a storm within the listener, one where love and frustration collide in a cataclysmic beauty.
This thunder does not just recount the pain – it questions it (‘Why is there so much hate for the ones we love?’). It’s a powerful reminder of the dichotomy within passion; how closely love intertwines with other, darker emotions, burgeoning on a battlefield where every word can both heal and wound.
The Hidden Meaning: Under the Skin of Desire
On the surface, the song’s hook speaks to an impossible bargain, but the ‘deal with God’ Chromatics evoke delves into the human condition’s most intimate crannies. What does it mean to truly comprehend another’s struggles, and at what price does this understanding come?
The repeated cry to swap places is a nuanced yearning to eradicate loneliness within the emotional spectrum – to become, even momentarily, one with another person’s essence. It’s an exploration of love’s furthest extremes, a wish to take on the loved one’s burdens if it means sparing them from pain.
Exchanging the Experience: Lyrics that Linger
The song’s bridge, ‘C’mon angel, c’mon c’mon, darling, Let’s exchange the experience,’ speaks volumes. It isn’t merely a desire to swap hardships; it’s an appeal for reciprocity in the deepest emotional exchange. The song whispers of mutuality, of time-stopping empathy, of a connection so core-shaking that one becomes the moment – and the moment becomes an eternity.
These lyrics stay imprinted long past the song’s end, echoing the universality of human longing. Chromatics crystallize this shared ache into a haunting refrain that thrums with the insatiable human hunger for profound, soul-deep connection.
No Problems: The Ironic Utopia
‘Be running up that hill, No problems’ – these words encapsulate a serene fantasy amidst the toil, an echo of yearning etched within the song’s pulse. The irony isn’t lost; the uphill run is the antithesis of ‘no problems,’ yet it’s presented as a hopeful, if quixotic, resolution.
It’s an ethereal musing on utopia, where understanding reigns and pain is extinct. Yet, the song’s resonance lies in the acknowledgement of this very dream’s impossibility. The lyrics are a lyrical paradox, a poignant juxtaposition of the ideal world and the beautiful, flawed reality we navigate within our relationships.
