Tarot and Music blend so beautifully to uncover those deep, often hidden layers. Through melodies and verses, songs reveal stories of struggle, growth, love, and resilience, much like tarot cards mirror the journey of the soul.
In this first music blogpost, we'll dive into the art of lyric interpretation through the lens of tarot, exploring how the cards can shed light on the emotions, conflicts, and insights buried within powerful lyrics.
Each interpretation will connect the themes of popular songs with the rich symbolism of tarot, offering a new way to experience music and find meaning in the messages it holds.
SONG "Chandelier" by SIA
Written by Sia and Jesse Shatkin and produced by Shatkin and Greg Kurstin, the song was released on 17 March 2014 as the lead single from Sia's sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. Despite its powerful, soaring melody, the song reveals the dark and poignant story of a "party girl" struggling with addiction. In raw and personal lyrics, Sia opens up about her battles with alcohol and drugs, capturing the conflict between escapism and inner turmoil.
While Sia has penned hits for icons like Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Britney Spears, here she saves the powerful line, "swing from the chandelier," for her own ethereal voice, delivering a vocal performance that resonates deeply.
Widely considered Sia's breakthrough moment, Chandelier received both critical acclaim and commercial success. Billboard even hailed its chorus as one of the most memorable of all time.
LYRICS - "Chandelier"
Party girls don't get hurt
Can't feel anything, when will I learn
I push it down, push it down
I'm the one "for a good time call"
Phone's blowin' up, ringin' my doorbell
I feel the love, feel the love
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 drink
Throw 'em back, till I lose count
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier
From the chandelier
I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist
Like it doesn't exist
I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night
Feel my tears as they dry
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier
From the chandelier
But I'm holding on for dear life
Won't look down, won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light
Cause I'm just holding on for tonight
Gotta get out now, gotta run from this
Here comes the shame, here comes the shame'
LYRIC Interpretation
Sia's "Chandelier" delves into the struggle with self-destructive behavior and emotional escape. The lyrics explore a cycle of partying and drinking as a way to numb pain, avoid self-reflection, and escape from personal turmoil. The protagonist masks her inner suffering by embracing a hedonistic lifestyle, adopting a "party girl" persona as a shield. She pushes down her feelings and seeks validation through external attention, feeling alive through fleeting moments of intoxication and thrill.
The refrain, "I'm gonna swing from the chandelier," symbolizes a reckless pursuit of freedom and release, throwing herself into the moment to avoid dealing with pain. She wants to live as if there’s no tomorrow, seizing these moments to "fly like a bird through the night," but there's an acknowledgment of how fragile this escape is.
The lyrics reveal that this “swinging” isn’t sustainable. She clings to the high—“holding on for dear life”—knowing deep down it's only temporary. "Keep my glass full until morning light" suggests she uses alcohol to sustain the illusion until dawn, fearing what will happen when the numbing stops. In the end, her inner conflict resurfaces, with "Here comes the shame," reflecting how the high fades and leaves her feeling vulnerable.
Overall, "Chandelier" conveys the pain behind a lifestyle that glamorizes escape but ultimately highlights the emptiness of living solely for momentary highs without confronting one's inner struggles.
3 TAROT CARDS - representing internal struggles
Three tarot cards that reflect the themes of escapism, self-destruction, and inner conflict in Sia's "Chandelier" would be:
1. The Devil – This card represents addiction, temptation, and self-imposed bondage. The Devil captures the cycle of unhealthy patterns, like the reliance on alcohol or partying as an escape. This card suggests being chained to behaviors that are ultimately harmful, often as a way to avoid confronting deeper pain. In "Chandelier," the Devil represents the protagonist's urge to numb herself from reality through excess and the entrapment of her habits.
2. The Nine of Swords – This card symbolizes anxiety, regret, and the mental anguish that comes with staying in toxic cycles. The Nine of Swords captures the feelings of guilt and shame, as well as sleepless nights haunted by self-doubt and pain. In the song, this card would represent the haunting shame and regret that creep in after a night of excess, portraying the deep, often hidden suffering beneath the surface.
3. The Tower – This card represents sudden upheaval, a breakdown of false structures, and a forced reckoning with reality. The Tower reflects the protagonist’s precarious balance as she swings “from the chandelier,” knowing that this lifestyle isn’t sustainable. It suggests an eventual, necessary collapse of this façade, a breaking point where the painful truth can no longer be ignored. The Tower symbolizes the inevitable clash between escapism and the need for real change.
These cards together depict the internal struggle between embracing temporary highs and the painful consequences that follow, emphasizing the need for transformation and inner healing.
Love and Light,
LLOracles
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