Meaning and Lyrics of Soup by Remi Wolf

“Soup” by Remi Wolf is a track that epitomizes her eclectic and irreverent approach to songwriting. With its catchy hooks and quirky lyrics, the song delves into themes of dependence, longing, and the messy, sometimes incomprehensible nature of relationships. Let’s dissect its layers, shall we?

Intro

The opening “Ah-ah” sets a whimsical tone, subtly preparing the listener for the kind of unorthodox storytelling that’s about to unfold. It’s almost childlike, a series of vocalizations that strip down to the barebones of human emotion: simplicity wrapped in complex layers.

Verse 1

“Stay, stick around / Please don’t get in your car” – Right off the bat, there’s a plea for connection, a desperate cry against abandonment. This sets up an emotional dichotomy; travel and movement juxtapose stagnation, embodied in the plane metaphor: “If a plane’s on the ground / It can never really get that far.” This speaks volumes about the futility of potential that isn’t actualized, a sentiment that might resonate with anyone who’s faced relational limbo.

Pre-Chorus

“I can’t help but make it ’bout me” – Remi confesses her self-centered tendencies, an admission starkly honest and self-aware. The imagery of “cleaning up the dirt on my feet” implies an attempt at betterment, albeit with a hint of skepticism – is she genuinely improving, or is it just surface-level?

Chorus

“Until I’m / Doing business on the top of the roof / They told me to leave but I don’t wanna leave without you” – The chorus elevates the sense of conflict and dependence. The rooftop imagery could symbolize a pinnacle or a place of vulnerability – high above yet precarious. The mundane task of picking up soup, juxtaposed with the mention of “doing business,” blends the ordinary with the extraordinary, grounding the fantastical sense of emotional chaos in everyday chores.

Post-Chorus

“Oh-oh, I don’t wanna live without you” – This repetition reinforces the essential theme of dependency, stripping away pretense to lay bare a pure, unvarnished sentiment.

Verse 2

“Lay like a dog / As I wait for your arrival” – Here, the canine imagery evokes loyalty and a kind of pathetic subservience. Playing “fetch in the yard” extends this metaphor, indicating actions taken only for the sake of maintaining the connection, a form of survival devoid of autonomous joy.

Pre-Chorus

In the second pre-chorus, “brushing off the blood on my teeth,” adds a visceral, almost animalistic intensity to the struggle for improvement. The song captures personal evolution as something gritty, raw, and tactile.

Bridge

“I can never do what you wanted, baby / Now our love just wants to divide us lately” – The bridge brings a sense of resignation. The riff of “na-na-na” fills in an emotional void, as words seem to fall short. It’s an existential lullaby, indicating perhaps a cyclical struggle with no clear resolution.

Chorus & Post-Chorus

The final repetition of the chorus and post-chorus drives home the aforementioned themes. The insistence to “not leave without you” maintains its grip on the listener, solidifying the song’s core message of intertwined identities and unshakeable dependencies.

Overall, “Soup” is a song that plays with surreal and mundane imagery to convey the chaotic interplay of human emotions. It showcases Remi Wolf’s songwriting prowess and her ability to expose raw, sometimes unflattering, human truths through a lens that is both quirky and poignantly relatable. The juxtaposition of playful and desperate elements creates a dynamic listening experience, where every lyric feels like an intimate confession wrapped in colorful, offbeat packaging. In the end, “Soup” isn’t just about a simple bowl of broth; it’s a stew of complex emotions, simmered to perfection.