"Scared as F*ck" by An Horse
I'm not really scared,
I just like the way that those words sound
When they fall from my mouth,
And I say them to you out aloud.
Sometimes my hands
Clap louder than everyone else,
But that's the way it stands,
'Cause I want to clap the loudest.
But I got so scared,
That you might be
A better me than me.
Yeah, I got so scared,
That you might be
A better me than me.
You can take my socks,
But you damn well better leave my gloves
'Cause I need my hands
To be warm like everybody else's.
Once my hands are warm,
I can give them to you and say,
"Please do all you can,
But my fingerprints will stay the same."
But I got so scared,
That you might be
A better me than me.
Yeah, I got so scared,
That you might be
A better me than me.
But we know someone who got so scared,
At the supermarket and you were there,
And I get to hold their hand
'Cause they'll get scared again.
They'll get scared again.
I'm not really scared.
I'm not really scared.
I'm not really scared.
I'm not really scared.
I'm not really scared.
I'm not really scared.
I'm not really scared
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions, as it is a survival instinct. It’s also a survival instinct to stay with others, such as the cliché “strength in numbers”. Even though not being accepted by other isn’t going to typically affect one’s life expectancy, it’s still frightening for most. People are naturally afraid of others being better than them (and not being good enough themselves) because that means they are less special, less interesting, and more likely to be left by others. Transitioning between intermittent figurative language devices in “Scared as F*ck”, An Horse utilizes ironic paradox and contradictory characterization through dual points of view to evince people’s fear of being rejected because others “might be better than me”.
Throughout the song “Scared as F*ck” the lyrics and diction switch between false confidence and fear. The verses switch between false confidence and fear, while the short chorus is fearful, comparing and contradicting the differences in point of view. Paradox is created through the opposing point of views of “I got so scared that you might be a better me than me” and “But I’m not really scared/I’m not really scared”. Superficially, the entire song is a contradiction. One of the points of views must be false while the other is true since they are opposites. The objectification and hyperbole of “The way that those words sound/When they fall from my mouth” and “My hands clap louder than everyone else” “’Cause I want to clap the loudest” shows the speaker’s fear of not being noticed and not being good enough. Because the speaker feels the need to be more noticeable than everyone else, it proves the point of view to be paradoxal because she says she’s not scared when really she is scared of being left behind.
Characterization created through the speaker’s point of view and symbol descriptions shows the speaker’s true fear. The speaker’s character is contradictory and indecisive as the speaker switches between points of view. The speaker’s identity is defined by their desperation to be better than everybody else, while trying to convince the listener that they are “not really scared”. The speaker’s hands are symbols of similarities to other people, such as “You can take my socks/ But you damn well better leave my gloves/ ‘Cause I need my hands to be warm like everybody else’s”. The hands serve as symbols of intimacy and similarities between people showing the speaker’s fear of being different from others as their hands need “to be warm like everybody else’s.” Through characterization of the speaker’s fearful identity it shows the dual points of view, to collectively show the speaker’s fear of being rejected.
Paradox and characterization combine with intermittent figurative language to create dual points of view. The speaker switches between scared and not scared, trying to convince the listener of their confidence. An Horse uses the song “Scared as F***” to evince people’s fear of being rejected and being different from others.
