Music
First Aid Kit’s “Out Of My Head” Revisits One Of Our Darkest Times
A deep dive on the meaning behind the hard-hitting lyrics from the folk duo.
Following the release of their Palomino album, Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit are currently in the midst of the UK leg of their tour, with gigs in London, Cambridge, Manchester, Birmingham, and more. Their fifth studio album is the follow-up to 2018’s Ruins, and the second single released from the record is “Out of My Head.”
Klara and Johanna Söderberg explained how this pop-leaning, folk synth track has a different vibe to their previous songs. “The song was written in the spur of the moment, almost like a stream of consciousness. It’s about feeling stuck inside your own thoughts and desperately wanting to escape,” they explained. “We wanted the production to feel like an old rock song from the ‘80s. We were inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, and Tom Petty.”
“Out of My Head” perfectly captures the feeling of being trapped and spiralling into your own thoughts — something most of us will be well-acquainted with since the nation-wide lockdowns. The band addresses how time is slipping away but there’s nothing to be done about it with lines like “Like a beggar on my knees/Am I running out of time?”
Feelings of despondency and helplessness are also clear in the lyrics “Stuck inside my dreaming/ Falling behind/Running on low/Does it matter now? [...] All my dreaming/All my trials/Where they’ll lead/Does it matter now?”
This new single is accompanied by a music video directed by Jason Lester. Filmed predominantly in Ireland’s Dublin and Wicklow, it features stunning shots of the band running along wide expanses of land, the grey sky contrasting with the bright pink of their dresses.
Speaking about the album as a whole, First Aid Kit revealed that the songs were mostly written during lockdown. “In such dark times, music felt like an escape from all the horrible things going on in the world. We wanted this album to feel more upbeat and cheerful than our previous album Ruins, which was a break-up record. It’s probably our most pop-sounding record yet.”
Below, check out the lyrics for “Out Of My Head.”
Back in time, oh, I go wandering
Through the rooms of my mind
Every door that I’ve been closing
All the people that I have let down
On a river, I’m floating down the stream
And back again
Like a beggar on my knees
Am I running out of time?
Stuck inside my dreaming
Falling behind
Running on low
Does it matter now?
Let me out, out of my mind
Out of my head, ooh, ooh, ooh
Words hung heavy upon my shoulders
Slowly drowning in the sound
Every door just flew open
Praying I’d stay tethered to the ground
On a river, I’m floating down the stream
And back again
Like a prisoner, set me free
Am I running out of time?
Stuck inside my dreaming
Falling behind
Running on low
Does it matter now?
Let me out, out of my mind
Out of my head, ooh, ooh, ooh
Out of my head, out of my mind
On a river, I’m floating down the stream
And back again
Like a beggar on my knees
Am I running out of time?
All my dreaming
All my trials
Where they’ll lead
Does it matter now?
Let me out, out of my mind
Stuck inside my dreaming
Falling behind
Running on low
Does it matter now?
Let me out, out of my mind
Out of my head, ooh, ooh, ooh
Out of my head, ooh, ooh, ooh
Out of my head, ooh
Ooh, out of my head, ooh
Ooh, out of my head, ooh
