Some lyrics don’t just come and go—they stay. They find you at a certain age, or a certain moment, and never really leave. These are a couple of lines I carry with me, and they’ve quietly shaped the way I feel, remember, and grow.
You’re the only friend I need / Sharing beds like little kids / And laughing ‘til our ribs get tough
— Ribs by Lorde | Listen on Spotify
In high school, Lorde became one of my favourite artists, especially with her Pure Heroine album. The song Ribs really spoke to me. My favourite memories from childhood are rooted in sleepovers with friends. We’d stay up watching our favourite movies, giggling about boys we liked, and riding a sugar high—usually fueled by soda, chips, and fuzzy peaches—until we eventually crashed for the night.
Now, nights with friends look a little different, but the nostalgia of being that kid laughing on a living room floor still hits me sometimes. Lately, we’ve been hosting movie nights again. We’ve watched horror movies, but also childhood classics like High School Musical 2, which brings back that same familiar feeling. The chips and candy are still there, but the soda has been replaced by wine or beer.
Even though my friend groups have changed over the years, the feeling hasn’t. Being with the people I love and laughing ’til our ribs get sore still means everything to me.
“I’ve been the archer / I’ve been the prey / Who could ever leave me, darling? / But who could stay?”
— The Archer by Taylor Swift | Listen on Spotify
When I first heard this lyric from The Archer, it hit me hard because of my struggle with anxiety. There’s something about the blurry line between self-protection and self-blame that this song captures perfectly. I’ve felt like the archer—on edge, guarded, and hiding my feelings behind a façade—but I’ve also felt like the prey, overwhelmed and caught in anxious spirals of overthinking that I can’t always control.
This song makes me feel understood when I don’t have the words for what I am going through. That’s why I got a tattoo of a bow and arrow—to remind myself that I can hold both strength and vulnerability. And that even in the mess of self-doubt, I’m still here, and I’m still trying.
Sometimes it feels like Taylor wrote this line directly from the inside of my brain. And in the moments when I feel too much, or feel like I am too much, The Archer reminds me that someone else has felt the same way—and turned it into something beautiful.