You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Porter Robinson's Unfold at Lyrics.org.
I put my pictures down
They’re not as good as the real thing
I wish I could go home
You’re just nostalgic
Where do we wander from? I’m only noticing now
So be here with me
And I watched the water unfold
It’s a feeling I want you to know
‘Cause I’m not the same as I was
As I shoulder the weight of the world
I was setting in stone until I noticed it right
Do you see how you’ve grown?
Don’t be sorry, then
And I fall from your bones
And now I know I’m alive
I want you to find it
And I watch the water unfold
It’s the feeling I want you to know
‘Cause I’m not the same as I was
As I shoulder the weight of the world
Thaw your hands now
Put color in your cheeks
I missed you back then
So be here with me
And I watch the water unfold
It’s a feeling I want you to know
And I watch the water unfold
It’s a feeling I want you to know
‘Cause I’m not the same as I was
As I shoulder the weight of the world
‘Cause I’m not the same as I was
As I show another way of the world
And I watch the water unfold
It’s a feeling I want you to know
‘Cause I’m not the same as I was
As I shoulder the weight of the world
Porter Robinson’s ‘Unfold’, a track laced with lyricism as enigmatic as it is evocative, navigates the turbulence of inner change against the immutable currents of life. Through a sonic landscape rich with emotive melodies and poignant verses, Robinson invites listeners on a journey of introspective discovery and self-acknowledgment.
Peering behind the veil of the track’s superficial beauty reveals a tapestry woven with themes of growth, nostalgia, and the burdens we carry. ‘Unfold’ is not just a sequence of melodic beats but a siren song calling to the wandering souls, compelling them to scrutinize the depths of their own evolution.
When Robinson croons about watching ‘the water unfold,’ it’s a metaphor of striking depth, signaling transformation—a shift from stasis to fluidity. It’s a watershed moment of clarity, where what was once set in stone now ripples and flows with life. Through the unfolding waters, Robinson contemplates the dichotomy of change: the daunting yet liberating realization of no longer being ‘the same as I was’.
The song’s cyclical nature, with its recurring chorus, mirrors the repeated confrontations we have with self-realization. Each iteration is a chime of enlightenment as the song progresses, pacing in tandem with one’s personal growth. It’s as if with every chorus, the listener is urged to shed another layer of their former selves, unveiling the nascent identity beneath.
Robinson’s reference to putting down pictures underscores a poignant battle with nostalgia. The ‘pictures’ serve as anchors, relics of a bygone era, that tether one to a past that seems more vivid, more inviting, than the present. Yet there’s an admission here—these snapshots pale in comparison to living the richness of the real thing, encouraging a forward gaze rather than rearview reflections.
In acknowledging the seductive pull of nostalgia, Robinson nudges the listener to sense the urgency of the present. He proffers an invitation—’So be here with me’—an exhortation to live with presence, to appreciate the transient beauty of the current moment rather than remain ensnared by the allure of yesteryears.
The crux of the track resides in the repeated confession, ‘I’m not the same as I was / As I shoulder the weight of the world.’ It is a vivid portrayal of the heaviness that accompanies growth, the taxing nature of metamorphosis. To grow, to change, necessitates the bearing of an invisible, yet palpable, weight—the responsibilities and understandings gleaned from maturation.
Yet, in this admittance, there’s an undertone of resilience. The ‘weight of the world’ is daunting, but it is also a measure of one’s capacity to endure and transform. Just as Atlas bore the sky, the song’s protagonist is embracing the challenge, signalling a strength found in vulnerability and the act of moving forward, burdened yet unbroken.
Perhaps the true jewel in ‘Unfold’s’ lyrical crown is encapsulated in the lines ‘And I fall from your bones / And now I know I’m alive.’ It is here that Robinson hones the quintessential paradox of life—the acknowledgment of our fragility as a hallmark of vitality. As one falls apart, stripped down to their core, there’s a rawness to their existence that throbs with the pulse of life.
This surrender, the act of ‘falling from bones,’ could well be interpreted as letting go of the protective shells we all erect. In the breaking down of these barriers, there is a promise of rebirth and the possibility of finding oneself within the chaos of unbecoming.
The powerful imagery in ‘Thaw your hands now / Put color in your cheeks’ speaks to revitalization and the brimming potential after periods of dormancy. This is Robinson urging a renaissance of the spirit, to warm one’s benumbed existence and infuse life with the vibrancy it once held. It’s a rebirth in essence—a call to awaken and color the world with newfound perceptions.
Every verse in ‘Unfold’ resonates as a poetic provocation, but it is lines such as these that linger in the mind’s ear long after the song’s last note fades. They encapsulate the very essence of the journey Robinson maps out—a passage that navigates the perennial human quest for meaning, connection, and the audacity to live fully in the tapestry of the now.