top of page

Now I'm All Messed Up

Description:

This is a song that Sara Quin wrote and that appeared on the album Heartthrob.


The lyric video was created by Travis Hopkins.

Video:

Lyrics:

Stay, you'll leave me in the morning anyway

My heart, you cut it out you never liked me anyway

Why do you take me down this road if you don't want to walk with me?

Why do you exit, go it alone, when you could just talk to me?

Now I'm all messed up, sick inside wondering where

Where you're leaving your makeup

Now I'm all messed up, sick inside wondering who

Whose life you're making worthwhile

Go, go, go if you want, I can't stop you

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Sad, you come back to me always anyway

Leave a mark, you say you never really loved her anyway

Why do I take this lonely road, nobody here to walk with me?

Don't want to start fresh all over again

Why won't you just comfort me?

Now I'm all messed up, sick inside wondering where

Where you're leaving your makeup

Now I'm all messed up, sick inside wondering who

Whose life you're making worthwhile

Go, go, go if you want, I can't stop you

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Go, go, go if you want, I can't stop you

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Now I'm all messed up, sick inside wondering where

Where you're leaving your makeup

Now I'm all messed up, sick inside wondering who

Whose life you're making worthwhile

Go, go, go if you want, I can't stop you

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Go (Please stay)

Go (Please stay)

Go if you want, I can't stop you

(You'll go if you want to, you'll go if you want to)

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Go (Please stay)

Go (Please stay)

Go if you want, I can't stop you

(You'll go if you want to, you'll go if you want to)

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Go (Please stay)

Go (Please stay)

Go if you want, I can't stop you

(You'll go if you want to)

Go if you want, I can't stop you

Trivia and Quotes:

“I was listening to a lot of Dolly Parton, and I don’t feel like I have a good enough voice to do what she does, but I was thinking of “I Will Always Love You” and how those songs work. It’s hard to articulate, but I wanted the song to be able to be stripped down to one instrument with the vocals, or it could be a big anthemic ballad. I know it’s not really a ballad, but it felt like a ballad. I wanted it to be really bulletproof, whether you were playing it stripped it down or a huge full band. This was also maybe the first time I’d given a gender identity to the person who I’m singing about. I don’t usually use pronouns or describe the person, although obviously most people know that I’m gay and will assume that I’m writing about a woman. I remember writing “where you’re leaving your makeup” — and obviously, men can wear makeup, too — and thinking that really feels like it’s purposeful. Most people would assume I’m a girl talking about a girl who’s leaving her makeup in someone else’s bed, and I remember it seemed really new to me to do that. It sounds so weird, but I’m not even sure that I’m doing it because I’m trying to break new ground. It was just discovering a new way to write — I like to write to the “you.” To me, it’s the most emotional way to do something. It sounds so simple to think why did it take so long to cross that boundary, and I’ve done it again with “Boyfriend,” but for me, it’s not that easy. That was the first time I really shed something about who I am and who the person is that I’m dating and writing about.” - Sara in 2016

Credits:

Produced by Greg Kurstin

Mixed by Greg Kurstin

Engineered and mixed by Greg Kurstin at Echo Studio, Los Angeles CA

Additional engineering by Jesse Shatkin

Drums recorded by Billy Bush, assisted by Jeremy Miller and Andrew Ford, at EastWest Studios, Los Angeles CA

Mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering


Musicians:

Sara Quin: Vocals

Tegan Quin: Vocals

Greg Kurstin: Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Piano

Joey Waronker: Drums


Written by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin

Published by Naked in a Snowsuit Publishing (SOCAN)


Live Performances:

bottom of page