There Go I

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of someone drawn to the inaccessible and the overwhelming, finding a strange comfort in things that are difficult or even dangerous. The narrator is captivated by "abandoned buildings and jagged cliffs," and "hieroglyphs," suggesting a fascination with mystery and the unknown. This is juxtaposed with a desire to "let me in there, let me see," a plea for access to these enigmatic spaces and experiences, even as they acknowledge the potential for being lost or overwhelmed, stating "If I get lost there, well, there I go." The central tension lies in the narrator's paradoxical attraction to hardship and confusion. They "love a bolted door" and are drawn to things that "make little sense" or are "too immense." This isn't a passive observation; it's an active pursuit. The repeated phrase "I want it so" underscores a deliberate choice to seek out these challenging situations, finding a peculiar form of happiness and fulfillment in them. The narrator explicitly states, "Danger, hazard / Make me happy" and later, "Danger, triumph / Make me cry," revealing a complex emotional response where even negative experiences are desired for the feelings they evoke. The most striking aspect of the writing is the narrator's embrace of self-inflicted peril and confusion. The imagery of "New York City / And blinding snow" evokes a sense of being lost in a vast, disorienting environment, a state the narrator seems to welcome. The concluding line, "They make me feel, it's not ideal / But there go I," encapsulates this willingness to face difficult circumstances. It suggests a recognition that these experiences are not conventionally positive, yet they are precisely what the narrator needs to feel alive and to understand themselves, even if it leads to tears or getting lost.