“Arsonist” is a song by Halsey from her 5th studio album “The Great Impersonator”. Halsey said she had made multiple versions of this song and didn’t like any of them until she redid the entire song in 30 minutes with Michael Uzowuru.
On October 21, 2024, Halsey revealed that the inspiration for th...
[Intro]
enod ev'uoy taht gnihtyreve htiw seerga dnA
snoitca ruoy fo lla seifitsuj tahT
dog a tem uoy taht kniht uoy tuB
dog sa esiugsid fles emos htiw tem uoy taht dog A
[Chorus]
Arsonist, burning down the world to feel its heat
The arsonist doesn't feel the embers on his feet
Arsonist, your human starter kit came incomplete
My apologies, arsonist, you loved me
[Verse 1]
I'm glued to a building that's on fire
Handcuffed to a narcissistic liar
Empty space and lethargy
Eyes ablaze with apathy
Fool me twice, the shame is on me
Am I a victim in your game?
Am I a set of antique plates?
Will you pass me through your bloodline
With your ornamental rage?
Can I take the blame for everything you hate?
The punishment and crime are not the same
[Chorus]
Arsonist, burning down the world to feel its heat
The arsonist doesn't feel the embers on his feet
Arsonist, your human starter kit came incomplete
My apologies, arsonist, you loved me
[Verse 2]
You built a small container to keep all of me confined
I am water, I am shapeless, I am fluid, I'm divine
Somebody will love me for the way that I'm designed
Devastation, creation intertwined
You don't love the flames, you just want them for yourself
Douse my head in kerosene, horizon into hell
And you smothered out the glow I grew for you
But it was mine too
[Chorus]
Arsonist, burning down the world to feel its heat
The arsonist doesn't feel the embers on his feet
Arsonist, your human starter kit came incomplete
My apologies, arsonist, you loved me
[Verse 3]
Alchemy's not love, it's playing God
And there's a penance paid for entering the temple like a fraud in your charade
You leave me sleeping in the dark so you can hide away your blade
And lock the door and trap me right here in the blaze
[Chorus]
Arsonist, burning down the world to feel its heat
The arsonist doesn't feel the embers on his feet
Arsonist, your human starter kit came incomplete
My apologies, arsonist, you loved me
[Outro]
Have you ever been broken and thrown down?
Have you ever been worried that if you touch your skin, it'll burn off like acid?
Have you ever given the world to somebody as a gift and had it returned?
uoy nehw naht esrow uoy ot denruteR
Did you know the father's DNA stays inside the mother for seven years?
Have you ever waited seven years?
Have you ever woken from a dream just to realize that you're still asleep?
Do you ever wish you were still asleep?
Do you ever wish you wouldn't wake up?
Arsonist was written by Halsey & Michael Uzowuru & RⱯHM ⚉ & Stuart Price.
Arsonist was produced by Michael Uzowuru & Halsey.
It had a couple different iterations and it was sounding quite the way I wanted it to and I went in one night with Michael Uzi, who was a producer across most of the record and he’s incredible, he’s worked with Frank Ocean, SZA, Beyoncé, like he’s amazing. And I walked in with him one night and we r...
FIONA APPLE 🍎
Chief inspo for my entire life, but the influence especially shows up in this song (and a few others on this album)
—via X
Hard as hell, I love that song. I think this is probably some of my best lyrical work maybe ever. […] I talk a lot about the bridge of this song about meeting God, or thinking you’re God or false gods, there’s a lot motifs of that through there and I love how that connects to the reversed vocals at...