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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Performance" by the artist "xx, The"

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The song "Performance" by The xx explores the pain and despair of unrequited love. The lyrical protagonist, hiding behind a mask of indifference, tries to reach out to the object of their affection.

The song begins with a series of rhetorical questions, highlighting how the protagonist’s true feelings remain unseen. "If I scream at the top of my lungs, will you hear what I don't say?". This is a metaphor for the inability to express emotions directly and the hope that the other person will sense them intuitively.

Dancing "as if on stage" and wearing a "mask" symbolize the facade and pretense that the protagonist feels compelled to employ to conceal their pain. "If I wear a mask, will you think everything is fine?". The protagonist plays a role, puts on a "performance," to protect themselves from further suffering.

Leaving "before the end" can be interpreted as an attempt to break free from a relationship that brings only pain. However, even in leaving, the protagonist hopes their absence will be noticed, that they have left some mark on the life of the one they loved.

The line "Since you stopped believing, I had to put on my own show" speaks to the protagonist feeling misunderstood and underappreciated. They no longer believe in the possibility of genuine connection and choose the path of self-deception, convincing themselves that "nothing happened."

The recurring lines "I will put on a show, I will put on a performance" emphasize the cyclical nature of the protagonist's experience. They are trapped in a cage of their own pain, unable to escape. The final words, "The performance was in vain, so I will perform for myself," sound tragic and hopeless. The protagonist has resigned themself to the fact that their feelings will remain unrequited and is forced to seek solace in the illusory world of their own fantasies.

If I scream at the top of my lungs,

Will you hear what I don't say?

If I dance like I'm on a stage,

Will you see I seem out of place?

If I put on a disguise,

Will you think everything's alright?

If I leave before the end,

Will you forget that I was there?

When you saw me leaving,

Did you think I had a place to go?

Since you stopped believing

I've had to put on my own show.

I'll put on a performance,

I'll put on a show,

It is a performance,

I do it all so

You won't see my hurting

When my heart, it breaks,

I'll put on a performance,

I'll put on a brave face.

Even when I was hurting

You could always find me,

Now you've stopped looking for me,

But I'm still playing hide-and-seek.

I want you to notice,

But you just don't see,

The show is wasted on you,

So I perform for me.

When you saw me leaving,

Did you think I had a place to go?

Since you stopped believing

I've had to put on my own show.

I'll put on a performance,

I'll put on a show,

It is a performance,

I do it all so

You won't see my hurting

When my heart, it breaks,

I'll put on a performance,

I'll put on a brave face.

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