Sober

### Engineer

Seth Paris, Brendan Morawksi, Barry McCready & Greg Eliason (assistant recording)
Serban Ghenea (mixing)
John Hanes (assistant mixing)
Laura Sisk (recording)
Randy Merrill (mastering)

### Other

Kuk Harrell (vocal producer)

**Sober** is the second track on Lorde's sophomore album Melodrama.

## Lyrics

[Intro]

Night, midnight, lose my mind

Night, midnight, lose my mind

Night, midnight, lose my mind

(*When you get to my high, when you get to*)

Night, midnight

[Verse 1]

Oh God, I'm clean out of air

In my lungs, it's all gone

Played it so nonchalant

It's time we danced with the truth

Move alone with the truth

Ooh (Hey)

We're sleeping through all the days

I'm acting like I don't see

Every ribbon you used to tie yourself to me

[Pre-Chorus]

But my hips have missed your hips

So let's get to know the kicks

Will you sway with me?

Go astray with me?

(Ah-ha)

[Chorus]

We're king and queen of the weekend

Ain't a pill that could touch our rush

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

Uh, when you dream with a fever

Bet you wish you could touch our rush

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

These are the games of the weekend

We pretend that we just don't care, but we care

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

Uh, when you dream with a fever

Bet you wish you could touch our rush

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

[Verse 2]

Oh, God, I'm closing my teeth

Around this liquour-wet lime

Midnight, lose my mind

I know you're feeling it too

Can we keep up with the ruse?

Ah ah (Hey)

B-bodies all through my house

I know this story by heart:

Jack and Jill get fucked up and possessive

When it get dark

[Pre-Chorus]

But my hips have missed your hips

So let's get to know the kicks

Will you sway with me?

Go astray with me?

(Ah-ha)

[Chorus]

We're king and queen of the weekend

Ain't a pill that could touch our rush

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

Uh, when you dream with a fever

Bet you wish you could touch our rush

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

These are the games of the weekend

We pretend that we just don't care, but we care

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

Uh, when you dream with a fever

Bet you wish you could touch our rush

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

[Bridge]

Midnight, we're fading

Till daylight, we're jaded

We know that it's over

In the morning, you'll be dancing with

All the heartache and the treason

The fantasies of leaving

But we know that, when it's over

In the morning, you'll be dancing with us

(*Midnight, lose my mind, midnight, lose my mind*)

Oh, dancing with us

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

Oh, you'll be dancing with us

(Can you feel it? Can you feel it?)

Dancing with us, us

(But what will we do when we're sober?)

Us

[Outro]

When you get to my high (Midnight, lose my mind)

When you get to my (Midnight, lose my mind)

## Commentary

* "[O]n the Lorde album, her and I found this sound of a tiger roaring embedded in some old synthesizer. Lorde and I put that right before the bridge on “Sober.” It’s so random, but it’s not just a cool production trick. The song would be less without it." -Jack Antonoff in response to *Entertainment Weekly's* question, "**What weird sound or instrument are you most proud of sneaking into a song this year?"**

## Themes & Motifs

* **Breathing**:
	+ "You steal the air out of my lungs, you make me feel it" -Bleachers, "Don't Take the Money"
	+ "Oh, God, I’m clean out of air in my lungs / It’s all gone" -Lorde, "**Sober**"

## References

1. ↑ https://ew.com/music/2017/12/28/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lorde-interview/