It Follows

Song Meaning

The lyrics to "It Follows" immediately drop us into a speaker's intense frustration with a past that refuses to stay buried. Despite their desperate attempts to leave it behind, an unnamed, persistent force relentlessly pursues them. The raw "fucking time" sets an immediate tone of bitterness and dread. The central tension of the lyrics stems from the speaker's belief they've escaped a specific, perhaps stifling, past — a time "When boys were boys, girls were girls" and social roles felt rigid. Yet, this past, characterized by superficial relationships and a critical view of "stupid thinking," proves inescapable. The relentless, four-time repetition of "It followed me" in the chorus underscores the futility of their efforts. The true punch of these lyrics comes from the chilling ambiguity of the "it" and the insidious imagery used to describe the past's influence. The narrator recalls a powerful, oppressive figure, an "asshole with a strong arm," whose presence was disguised by a network of sycophants or false camaraderie. This environment also included a superficial social scene, where "young ladies and their secrets" were part of an endless, draining drama. What makes these lyrics so effective is how they capture the universal struggle against a haunting past that feels both specific and amorphous. The speaker's active attempts to "outrun it" by moving on are met with the chillingly casual realization that "it tapped me on the back." This blend of vivid, critical details about a toxic environment and the unnamed, relentless "it" creates a powerful, relatable narrative of inescapable baggage that continues to shape the present.