BADLANDS [halsey] // Lyric Analysis

2. Hold Me Down

Halsey spoke about the meaning and inspiration behind "Hold Me Down" at a live show in June of 2015: "I was meeting a bunch of mean, old men who thought they knew better than I. And I met this one guy in particular, a certain asshole who inspired this song. This song is a reminder that no matter how small you are or how small people may make you seem, you should never let anything hold you down."

This 'asshole' was a person that worked at a record company (one out of the five who got in touch with Halsey after the success "Ghost" had on SoundCloud) who was rude and unrespectful towards Halsey, he may had been one of the reasons why she didn't sign with him. 

VERSE 1:

"My demons are begging me to open up my mouth /
I need them mechanically make the words come out"

Without these things living inside of her, Halsey feels like she would have no voice – she'd essentially be mute, with no way to be heavily opinionated in order to point out things around her.

These demons provide a power that pushes her to speak her mind at all times, dragging her thoughts right out of her. In "Gasoline", Halsey talks about being forced to conform, . The fact that these demons mechanically bring the words out of her suggests that Halsey's demons drive her to be different from society.

It also may be a reference to her bipolar disorder, on how her two sides fight against each other and her 'bad side' seems to let itself go with words.

"They fight me, vigorous and angry, watch them pounce /
Ignite me, licking up the flames they bring about"

Even though the demons allow her to speak, nothing changes when she resists because she feels powerless to her own inhibitions.
The "flames" refer to the fires of Hell, from where the "demons" come. They purposely make her angry to enjoy the havoc that her anger evokes.

PRE-CHORUS:

"I sold my soul to a three-piece /
And he told me I was holy /
He's got me down on both knees /
But it's the devil that's tryna"

"Three-piece" designs a man in the likeness of a devil that is commonly depicted in a three-piece suit (jacket, vest, trousers) who she "sold her soul to," presumably for something in return.

"He's got me down on both knees" shows a sign of dominance on his end, telling her that she's holy,  and she was praying to him. In the end, it's her  that keep her down, but at the same time take the look of a man, making everything becoming real.

CHORUS:

"Hold me down, hold me down /
Sneaking out the back door, /
Make no sound /
Knock me out, knock me out /
Saying that I want more, this is what I live for  /

Hold me down, hold me down /
Throw me in the deep end, watch me drown /
Knock me out, knock me out /
Saying that I want more, this is what I live for"

The  lead to her to self doubt, something that's starting to tear her apart from the inside. To make these demons escape, she attempts to run from the judgments, although her demons will continue to follow her anyhow, making her believe that it isn't over that "she wants more".

Although the constant critiques may get to her at times, she seems to love the fact that people look at her differently, exactly because she stands out being unique and one-of-a-kind. "This is what I live for" emphasizes how she finds encouragement out of the negative. She strives to prove the doubters wrong.

VERSE 2:

"Selfish, taking what I want and call it mine /
I'm helpless, clinging to a little bit of spine /
They rush me, telling me I'm running out of time /
They shush me, walking me across a fragile line"

Struggling with self doubt, Halsey holds on to the little bit of self confidence and dignity ("spine") she has left. But she also feels like there isn't any clue for her to get better or to explain her needs and mistakes ("I'm helpless").

The critics are telling her that her time in the spotlight is quickly fading away, and soon she will become irrelevant, that her time will be over soon. Furthermore, when Halsey tries to speak out,  ("they shush me").

BRIDGE:

"Hold me down now /
Hold me down now /
Hold me down"

[It's related with the CHORUS analysis.]

-
I absolutely adore the methafor she uses to say that she sold her soul and how wide her vocabulary is.

is there anything you love in particular about her writing?