Song Meaning

The lyrics of "Started It" present a fascinating duality of engagement and detachment. The opening lines establish a core tension: "being a part of it / Is just the half of it / The other half of it / Is being apart from it." This suggests that true understanding or experience isn't just about immersion, but also about maintaining a critical distance. The narrator grapples with this push and pull, finding that even "being at the heart of it" only tells part of the story. The central drive of the song seems to be a call to action, a momentum that builds with each repetition of "Yeah, now we've started it." This phrase acts as both a declaration and an incitement, urging the listener to initiate change, disruption, or simply engagement. The repeated commands to "mess it up a bit" and "shake it up a bit" imply a desire to break from stasis, to inject energy into a situation, even if it means introducing a degree of chaos or imperfection. The most striking craft element is the cyclical structure and the insistent repetition, particularly of "Yeah, now we've started it" and the later "So we're doing it right now." This creates a hypnotic, almost urgent rhythm that mirrors the feeling of being caught in a process that's already in motion. The shift from "started it" to "doing it right now" as day turns to night underscores a sense of fleeting time and the necessity of immediate action before opportunities vanish. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their ability to capture a feeling of restless energy and the complex nature of participation. It’s not just about joining in, but about the conscious decision to alter, to observe, and to act decisively within a given context, all while acknowledging the transient nature of moments and the inevitable passage of time.