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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Howl" by the artist "Years Years"

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In "Howl", Years & Years' Olly Alexander channels a sense of displacement, anxiety, and a desperate yearning to be heard in a world perceived as alienating and frightening.

From the outset ("This looks, looks really insidious. Leading on by prejudice"), the lyrical protagonist navigates uncertainty and apprehension. He sees warning signs ("counting the symbols") and feels pulled into a vortex of the unknown ("There’s something in the water. Is that me going under?").

The recurring motif of "time has come" underlines the inevitability of change, which the protagonist grapples with. He fears the future ("I'm scared, scared to be in a crowd of the future"), resorting to pleading for divine intervention ("So help me God!").

Cutting his hair and assuming a shocking appearance ("I knocked them all dead") symbolizes his attempt to stand out, to draw attention to his inner turmoil. It's as if he's screaming, howling, trying to break through a wall of indifference ("Can you hear me, can you hear me, can you hear me call?").

The image of a "very hungry crowd" amplifies the protagonist's feelings of isolation and vulnerability. He's like a cornered predator, yet still ready to fight for his voice to be heard. The final plea, "Can you hear me?", echoes with a desperate need for understanding and acceptance.

[Verse 1:]

It seems, it seems mighty treacherous

A superstition leads me

Maybe, maybe it's getting dangerous

I'm counting symbols: one, two, three

[Pre-Chorus 1:]

Something in the water

Is it me that's going under?

I'm shaking

Psychic kind of power

Now's the time, and now's the hour of making

Ooh

[Chorus:]

So help me God

Where am I now?

(I'm afraid, I'm afraid in the future crowd)

I cut my hair

I shot them down

(I'm awake, I'm awake, I'm dreaming)

Can you hear, can you hear, can you hear me howl?

(Say, can you hear me?)

Can you hear, can you hear, can you hear me howl (howl)?

(Say, can you hear me howl?)

[Verse 2:]

I was, I was young and untamed

Dancing like my mother

I pray, I pray we will be safe

Though we may uncover

[Pre-Chorus 2:]

Something in the water

I can't help, I'm going under

Oh, save me

Psychic kind of power

It's my time, and it's my hour of making

Ooh

[Chorus:]

So help me God

Where am I now?

(I'm afraid, I'm afraid in the future crowd)

I cut my hair

I shot them down

(I'm awake, I'm awake, I'm dreaming)

Can you hear, can you hear, can you hear me howl?

(Say, can you hear me?)

Can you hear, can you hear, can you hear me howl (howl)?

(Say, can you hear me howl?)

[Bridge:]

Standing in front of the hungriest crowd

Nothing will stop me from screaming out loud

I am the wolf and the enemy now

Say, can you hear me, ooh?

Ooh, ooh

No, no, no

[Chorus:]

So help me God

Where am I now?

(I'm afraid, I'm afraid in the future crowd)

I cut my hair

I shot them down

(I'm awake, I'm awake, I'm dreaming)

Can you hear, can you hear, can you hear me howl?

(Say, can you hear me?)

Can you hear, can you hear, can you hear me howl (howl)?

(Say, can you hear me howl?)

[Outro:]

Say, can you hear me?

Say, can you hear me howl?

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