Categories
Song Transmasc

The Village by Wrabel

Description:

The Village is a song dedicated to transgender people, and details the struggles of a young transmasc with an unsupportive family with lyrics that are meant to be quotes: “Don’t dare, don’t you even go there, cutting off your long hair, you do as you’re told.” The song also provides comfort for the listener with its main message, spread throughout the song: there’s nothing wrong with you just because you’re trans.

Song links:

Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube Music, Amazon

Full song lyrics:

No, your mom don’t get it
and your dad don’t get it
Uncle John don’t get it

And you can’t tell grandma
’cause her heart can’t take it
and she might not make it

They say, “Don’t dare, don’t you even go there,
cutting off your long hair”
“You do as you’re told”
Tell you, “Wake up, go put on your makeup”
“This is just a phase you’re gonna outgrow”

There’s something wrong in the village,
in the village, oh
They stare in the village,
in the village, oh

There’s nothing wrong with you
It’s true, it’s true
There’s something wrong with the village,
with the village
There’s something wrong with the village

Feel the rumors follow you
from Monday all the way Friday dinner
You got one day of shelter
then it’s Sunday hell to pay, you young lost sinner

Well, I’ve been there, sitting in that same chair
whispering that same prayer half a million times
It’s a lie, though, buried in disciples
One page of the Bible isn’t worth a life

There’s something wrong in the village,
in the village, oh
They stare in the village,
in the village, oh

There’s nothing wrong with you
It’s true, it’s true
There’s something wrong with the village
with the village
Something wrong with the village

There’s something wrong in the village,
in the village, oh
They stare in the village,
in the village, oh

There’s nothing wrong with you
It’s true, it’s true
There’s something wrong with the village,
with the village
Something wrong with the village

Member Notes:

This is genuinely such a beautiful song. I’m so mad at myself for forgetting about it. The music video makes me sob every single time I watch it 10/10 we need more media like this in my opinion

-Win!

Categories
Song Transfem

Yoshi’s Island by Glass Beach

(This is an unfinished page!)

Description:

Yoshi’s Island represents the transfem community by detailing a trans girl’s relationship with her mother and society. This is a transfem anthem with lyrics that can hit extremely hard, like “I won’t say she even though I know you want me to, I know that it’s hard but I swear I still love you”. It encapsulates how it feels to be trans in such an amazing and accurate way, while also having a bouncy, energetic theme that fits the vibe weirdly well.

Full song lyrics:

One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four

One, two, three, four
Five, six, seven, eight

I can’t take the pressure
Yeah, everybody thinks that you just need to grow up
I know it’s hard, it’s fucking impossible
tryna make sense of the things that you feel now

With spiro and estro from Vanuatu
What the hell do you think that’ll do to you?
I won’t say “she” even though I know you want me to
I know that it’s hard but I swear I still love you

I can’t take the pressure
Cry on the bathroom floor when you look in the mirror
Cover your neck or they’ll cut your head off
J, you’re only cute with your heart eyes and legs crossed

Write the things you think when you’re out of your body
Run yourself out of words to say you’re hopelessly lonely
And don’t leave the city and don’t leave the covers too
I know it’s hard but I swear I still love you

I am never gonna understand
I am never gonna understand
I am everything you think about her
Behind her back, the whole truth
Does it hurt to say you love her like a son?
The world could kill her just cause she can’t fit in right

Yeah, they’ll make it so dangerous
When they leave no room to breathe in the space they carved out for us
When the get inside your head, give you white lies and black eyes
When they try to change your shape until your sense of self dies

But you make me feel like I’m out of my body
We ran out of words to say we’re hopelessly lonely
So don’t leave the city, please don’t leave the covers too
Just stay right here babe, let’s live life like lovers do

I am never gonna understand
I am never gonna understand
I am everything you think about her
Behind her back, the whole truth
Does it hurt to say you care about your son?
The world could kill her just cause she can’t fit in right

You take spiro and estro from Vanuatu
You say you won’t think about nothing but loving you
We’re sleeping harbor seals on the seaside of Malibu
Okay, I won’t think about nothing but loving you

Spiro and estro from Vanuatu
You say you won’t think about nothing but loving you
We’re sleeping harbor seals on the seaside of Malibu
Okay, I won’t think about nothing but loving you


Notes:

This is my favorite song of all time!!!!!! It hits really hard for me and it’s relatable to me because of my relationships with my mom and grandparents, and WOAH yeah some of these lyrics rock me to my core, like “I won’t say she even though I know you want me to, I know that it’s hard but I swear I still love you”, WOAHHHHHHHH THATS ROUGH

-Sylvie <3

Categories
Song Transmasc

This Is Home by Cavetown

Description:

This Is Home is a transmasc anthem, with the lines “I’ll cut my hair, to make you stare, I’ll hide my chest”. There’s also a part that represents someone else talking about him, which is in some ways exactly what a transmasc person both would and wouldn’t want to hear (“Get a load of this trainwreck, his hair’s a mess and he doesn’t know who he is yet, but little do we know the stars welcome him with open arms”). It’s also important to note that this was recorded before Cavetown transitioned, which makes the song representative even for pre-t transmascs.

Song links:

Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube Music, Amazon

Full song lyrics:

Often I am upset
that I cannot fall in love but I guess
this avoids the stress of falling out of it

Are you tired of me yet?
I’m a little sick right now but I swear,
when I’m ready I will fly us out of here

I’ll cut my hair
to make you stare
I’ll hide my chest, and I’ll
figure out a way to get us out of here

Turn off your porcelain face
I can’t really think right now and this place
has too many colors,
enough to drive all of us insane

Are you dead?
Sometimes I think I’m dead
cause I can feel ghosts and ghouls wrapping my head
but I don’t wanna fall asleep just yet

My eyes went dark
I don’t know where
my pupils are, but I’ll
figure out a way to get us out of here

Get a load of this monster
He doesn’t know how to communicate
His mind is in a different place
Will everybody please give him a little bit of space?
Get a load of this trainwreck
His hair’s a mess and he doesn’t know who he is yet
but little do we know, the stars
welcome him with open arms

Time is
slowly
tracing his face,
but strangely he feels at home in this place

Categories
Song

glass beach & blood rivers by Glass Beach

(This is an unfinished page!)

 

glass beach & blood rivers tells a story about two genderqueer people running away from their unsupportive families in a desperate attempt to get away from it all. The two people’s relationship is shown to be storied and affectionate, a beautiful representation of a queer friendship/relationship. This story is told from the perspective of one of them comforting the other, reassuring them that they aren’t a burden and urging them to stay alive.

This song covers alot, and gives us details about the life of the main character from a few of Glass Beach’s other songs, “yoshi’s island” and “bedroom community”. We learn through the second verse as the singer, who I’m going to call “Glass”, comforts the other person, who I’m going to name “Beach”, that Beach’s parents were verbally abusive to them. Despite this, Beach believed that they treated them this way out of love. 

Later in the song, Glass tells Beach about the first time they ran away. They stopped taking calls, and drove away to nowhere in particular, just anywhere but where they were. At one point, someone named Yuki told them to talk their problems through with their family, rather than running from them. 

Full song lyrics: 

i promise you’re not wasting
anybody’s time
and all the things they’ve told you
are so god damn rough, i understand

they said your friends will hurt you
and you’re friends don’t really care
you told me you’re their daughter
and they treat you this way just to keep you safe.

so please listen clearly, i love you dearly
it hurts to see you so torn apart like this
another sleepless night
to laugh about the times we tried to die
with heavy eyes
i’ll stay awake with you
and we’ll keep us alive
til the morning comes

in here
you’ll be ok
and when your heart breaks
i’ll be beside you
so please
stay here with me
breathe in like waves                                                                                                                                                                                          on a glass beach

I stopped taking calls for the first time then I cut off my phone line
and took the highway one for nowhere south
when Yuki said i should just call up family
and tell them how i felt
no one who loves you should make you feel so unsafe
no no one who loves you should make you feel alone

in here
you’ll be ok
and when your heart breaks
i’ll be beside you
so please
stay here with me
breathe in like waves
on a glass beach

blood in your veins,
the blood on your hands
so stop it, you’re fucking hurting her

can we forget about the places that we should be?
we don’t have to go home today.
i’ll sleep on a million couches,
if we have to, to keep us both safe.
until we can take back
the years they’ve stolen from us
we’ll always live like we’re
hopeless kids.

but when
we’re with all our friends
can we just pretend
that no one can hurt us?
cause hey,
i love you, ok?
it’s so hard to say
that i fucking need you too

tonight
when they close their eyes
look up to the sky
and climb up the moonlight
it’s ours
the moon and the stars
they’ll forget who we were
and we’ll be together again.

sleep til the sun sets
sleep til the sun sets
sleep til the sun sets
the summer sun sets.

Categories
Song

Dysphoric by Cavetown

Description:

Dysphoric is about… well, gender dysphoria. This song, with it’s slow rhythm and solemn lyrics, depicts dysphoria in a way that most couldn’t articulate. It shows the hopelessness of feeling trapped in your body and being able to do nothing about it, with the singer pleading “find me a way out, if you love me”.

Song links:

Bandcamp, Soundcloud, YouTube

Full song lyrics:

Don’t let me see what I am
cause I can’t stand it, no I can’t
I’m coming back ’round again
It’s been over a year, I thought this was the end

And now I don’t remember comfort
because what I am is what I’m not
I don’t belong here, it’s just hopeless
Find me a way out if you love me at all

Don’t let me hear what they say
cause I can’t stand it everyday
I’m thinking that I should leave now
and I don’t think I’m coming back this time

‘Cause now I don’t remember comfort
because what I am is what I’m not
This phantom skin, it’s weird to live in
So find me a way out if you love me at all

Categories
Song

calico by glass beach

Description:

Calico is a comforting song for any gender non-conforming people. The singer is comforting a male calico cat, who is a stand-in for a gender non-conforming person! Calico cats are almost always female, so he/him pronouns used to describe a calico cat gives the cat a bit of gender-nonconformity, through which transgender listeners can relate. With the lyrics “Calico, don’t go” and “you’re not gonna leave him alone” the singer comforts the listener and reminds them that there are people out there that care about them and will protect them.

Song links:

Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube Music, Amazon

Full song lyrics:

Some stray cat came through the backyard
Must have climbed up some fences

You’ll pick him up off the ground
and you’ll hold him in your arms
and you’ll kiss him on the head
and you’ll tell him he’s a lucky boy

Pick him up off the ground
and you’ll hold him in your arms
and you’ll kiss him on the head
and you’ll tell him he’s a lucky little
(Calico, don’t go)

You’re not gonna leave him alone
You’re not gonna leave him alone
You’re not gonna leave him alone
You’re not gonna leave him alone

Categories
Song Transfem

bedroom community by Glass Beach

Bedroom Community represents the transfem community in a similar way to Yoshi’s Island. The name of this song, Bedroom Community, could refer to an online community that the main character is a part of, a community of trans teens who hide away in their bedrooms online, where they feel like they can be themselves under digital personas. The song goes in depth in different ways, such as her relationship with her father, who is both unsupportive and extremely religious, going as far as believing that “Satan waits upstairs, watching over his daughter”. The daughter is going through a whole emo phase, struggling to express her femininity and writing sad songs as the only way she knows how to express her feelings.

This song also seems to connect to other songs by Glass Beach, specifically “yoshi’s island” and “glass beach and blood rivers”. The repeated verse in yoshi’s island, “run yourself out of words to say you’re hopelessly lonely”, could be a reference to the songs written by the main character of this song. bedroom community includes the verses, “melancholia can spread like a virus, I know you got it from that stupid girl”, which is a line spoken by the father to his daughter. This part of the song seems out of place, as there’s no specific “girl” referenced anywhere else in the song, but it starts to make sense if you consider it in the context of “glass beach and blood rivers”, which centers around two genderqueer characters and their storied relationship. These three songs tell the story of one trans girl’s life and her relationships with her parents and lifelong best friend.

Song links:

Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube Music

Full song lyrics:

Here it is again, a heart of excitement
in the form of a girl who hates her life
as she sits alone on the floor of her bedroom
waiting for answers, wasting time

Here it is again, the son of a soldier
Remington shotgun, rolled up sleeves
to keep Satan out of the walls of the suburbs
His last bastion of modernity

But Satan waits upstairs, watching over his daughter
She writes emo songs, she’s so depressed
Her lyrics are naive but she still sings her heart out
The only way she knows how to confess

And as she gets up to shut the bedroom door behind her,
he stands right beside her, she’s trying to get her head on straight
With box dye hair to match her black thigh highs
and scratched nail polish, she performs femininity
She laughs so hard, I watch her lose her balance
fall over backwards to the arms of Mephistopheles
but she’ll never leave her bedroom in this bedroom community

He said you’ll never be okay, ‘kay, if you don’t come to your senses
With you everything’s the end of the world
Melancholia can spread like a virus
I’m sure you got it from that stupid girl

You’ll never be okay, if you don’t come to your senses
but I feel so defenseless, so alone
I thought he was right when he said that he loved me
He’s still thinking of me from up there

And as they stop to look at her they won’t look further
Like it’s not a murder, it’s an inevitable tragedy
The bloody hands of all the heartless fuckers
who emotionally fucked her to monetize her suffering
Flipping through a spiral notebook for some
sad, hopeless words to turn into a liturgy
So she’ll never leave her bedroom in this bedroom community

Da-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no-no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no-no, no, no, no
No, we’ll never leave our bedrooms
We’re a bedroom community!

Ba-da-da-da, da-da-da
Here it is again, a heart of excitement
in the form of a girl who hates her life
as she sits alone on the floor of her bedroom
waiting for answers, wasting time

Member Notes:

I love this song so much!! I think it’s tied with Yoshi’s Island as my favorite song, it represents the trans experience in ways and words that, like Yoshi’s Island, WILL legit just make me cry a bit if I’m in a vulnerable mood. Like the lyric “but I feel so defenseless, so alone”, OH boy yeah that one hurts sometimes, I love this song

-Sylvie <3

Sorry to anyone who uses Amazon Music and wanted a link. I gave up on finding it because not only am I not familiar with the site, but for some reason the pages are only coming up in Spanish. I’ll add the link when I can ><

-Win!