Street by Street | Laufey Lyrics, Meaning & Videos

Publish date: 2024-05-20

Street by Street
Laufey Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴This view used to bring
A smile to my face
Lately it's done nothing but
Remind me of the way

The way that you used to
Give me butterflies
Took me 21 days to

Walk our former paradise
Paradise, bu-bu-bu-day duh

Step by step, brick by brick
I'm reclaiming what's mine
This city is way too small
To give away to just one guy

Street by street, breath by breath
From the Back Bay to the sky
I'm taking back my city
I'm taking back my life

The café
Where you asked me for my name
The bookstore we spent
Five hours hiding from the rain

It's like a game of Monopoly
Except I steal back all my property
And leave you on the ground
And I know that I'll see you one day on the street
With a girl on your arm but I won't let that keep me from this town

From this town
From this town, oh

Step by step, brick by brick
I'm reclaiming what's mine
This city is way too small
To give away to just one guy

Street by street, breath by breath
From the Back Bay to the sky
I'm taking back my city

I'm taking back my life
I'm taking back my city


Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Street by Street" by Laufey are a powerful and uplifting reflection on reclaiming one's life and city after a heartbreak. The song starts with the singer admitting that a once-beloved view no longer brings them joy, as it only reminds them of how their ex-partner used to make them feel. The bridge then recounts the singer's journey of reclaiming what's theirs in their city ("Step by step, brick by brick, I'm reclaiming what's mine"). This involves revisiting places where they made memories with their ex and re-creating new ones that serve as symbols of ownership and strength. The song reaches its climax when Laufey declares "I'm taking back my city, I'm taking back my life".


Overall, "Street by Street" is a song about resilience, perseverance, and the power of reclaiming what's yours after a difficult break-up. It speaks to the deeply human need to take control of one's life and surroundings, even in the midst of heartache and sadness.


Line by Line Meaning

This view used to bring
Explaining that the view used to make the singer happy


A smile to my face
The singer's reaction to the view has changed


Lately it's done nothing but
The view has become a source of sadness for the singer


Remind me of the way
The view reminds the singer of a past relationship


The way that you used to
Referring to a past lover and their actions


Give me butterflies
The past lover used to make the singer feel excited


Took me 21 days to
It took the singer three weeks to leave the relationship


Walk our former paradise
The relationship was once happy, but now it is over


Step by step, brick by brick
The singer is taking control of their life


I'm reclaiming what's mine
The singer is taking back their sense of happiness and control over their life


This city is way too small
The city is too small to give away to one person


To give away to just one guy
Referring to the past lover who took up too much space and caused harm


Street by street, breath by breath
The singer is taking back control of their life slowly and methodically


From the Back Bay to the sky
The singer is taking control of the whole city


I'm taking back my city
The singer is taking back control over their life in the city


I'm taking back my life
The singer is taking control of their life in general


The café
Referring to a specific place


Where you asked me for my name
Referring to a specific moment with the past lover


The bookstore we spent
Referring to a specific place


Five hours hiding from the rain
Referring to a specific moment with the past lover


It's like a game of Monopoly
Referring to taking control and getting back what is rightfully yours


Except I steal back all my property
Referring to taking back control over one's life and happiness


And leave you on the ground
Referring to the past lover being left behind in the process of taking back control


And I know that I'll see you one day on the street
Acknowledging the possibility of seeing the past lover again


With a girl on your arm but I won't let that keep me from this town
Refusing to let the past lover and their actions dictate the singer's life


From this town
The singer is not leaving the city


From this town, oh
The city symbolizes the singer's personal life and taking back control


I'm taking back my city
Reiterating that the city symbolizes the singer's personal life


I'm taking back my life
Reiterating that the singer is taking control of their life overall


Writer(s): Laufey Lin

Contributed by Lily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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