Not enough people talk about the candle, which is really clever & subtle. She lights her candle, every day from how short it’s getting, symbolising that she is tending her marriage, to keep the flame alive, even if it means she burns out. His candle is never lit. It sits by his right hand, unburned. Showing he’s put no care into the relationship, that there’s no duality to this marriage.
Also it going out and her disappearing can have multiple meanings, perhaps she finally got to escape, maybe she died, and if so did she unalive herself or did he unalive her?
@@nyxskidsI hadn’t even thought of that! I only saw her self/her relationship burning out not the idea of her possibly dying-this video sparks so many ideas!
@@Fates1Embrace my mum was a cps/social/mental health worker her entire career and she fostered a bunch of kids, including me. It's hard for me to not see the darkest possibilities. I'm glad that there are people that can remind me that there are positive or at least less dark conclusions to draw. I appreciate the wide variety of comments this song/video have inspired us fans to add to the already deep meaning of the song/video
@@nyxskids I’m sorry that your world was filled with so much dark, I really wish that nobody had to endure it. This video & song has brought so much creativity, so many perspectives & so much to discuss, & it’s things that are definitely needed to discuss so we can learn & hopefully make the world a better place, even if it’s just a bit & just for a moment.
I think it’s so cool that a lot of the lyrics have a dual meaning. Many women’s capillaries break during labor also lift a finger could be lazy or physical abuse. They don’t show their faces but we know who is the woman bc she’s serving him. So many layers!
There is also , "it's not an act of love if you make her" could be about her severeing him not being love because she is focused but also about r*pe. Also labor means both work but is also associated with pregnancy
And also the line "If our love died, would that be a bad thing?" could not only mean the abusive and toxic relationship between the two, but also like some sort of abortion plan, like if she had a daughter it wouldn't really be a bad thing if she had an abortion so the child wouldn't have to go through the same thing as her it's such a fucking great song
The thing I love most about the hook at the end is that the choral voices are children. This bullshit starts for women when they're little girls and follows them their whole lives.
Considering the whole song can be read as the final words of a woman han*ing herself to avoid potentially giving birth to another girl, it makes a lot of sense to do that.
The thing about this song is that women today feel this too. We're expected to have children and bend to impossible lengths to fit what society demands of us. Labor breaks out bodies and we barely get leave from work- we're the first parent who is expected to juggle everything and care for the kids, but as soon as that child misbehaves, they ask where the father is. Men argue over who holds the rights to our bodies and some simply take what they want without regard for our wishes. This song brings out such a deep anger at the way our ancestors were treated, our great great great grandmothers and aunts, how their stories and their inventions, achievements and lives are credited to men. Sadly the fight for women's rights is far from over and will never be. Paris Paloma has given us an anthem to scream at the top of our lungs about the injustice of being named the weaker gender throughout history, despite being given most of the labor. So many lines have double or triple meanings- "So that he never lifts a finger" So he doesn't do any work- but also, so he never raises a hand to hurt her.
Ridiculous song, who built the roads, the houses, who built power grid and the plumbing? Who gets drafted in wars? Objectively men work longer hours on more physically draining work to the point where they die much younger. You pretend you have no say in your relationships like you have some prehistoric slaver beating you if you step out of line. "Juggle everything and care for the kids" What kids? the birth rate is through the floor. We are richer than our grandparents, you have more ability to can choose not to work if you want or find a husband who will cut his hours, you just will have to sacrifice some luxuries. Women make up the majority of the electorate thus politicians push through the things they want even if most of the representatives are men. Western women are the most pampered in history yet feel like they are the most oppressed.
Yes sing it loud ladies this song hits me so deep and love the way he talks about this song proof some men are not just dogs and some really understand our struggles❤❤to u!!
This song reminds me of my grandmother. She gave my grandfather six children and took care of the home while holding down a job and trying to keep their marriage together and going and in the end he left her for his secretary.
When people say " our grand parents marriages used to last, unlike this generation" It was because a lot of women on your granny situation either accept the side piece or face scorn from being divorced. Those 40 yr marriages were mostly build on the silent suffering of women. Meanwhile the dudes had a whole generation of comedians saying ha,ha she is a nag, the old ball and chain, she got fat am I right guys ? they just let themselves go after the 5 th kid.
One element I'd like to add is the tap against the goblet. He's not signaling that it's her time to eat, he's *summoning* her. His plate is full of his scraps and he needs it taken away (and probably a new plate). She stands up instantly, her plate in hand (presumably in the regular dynamic she would hand him her plate, take his dirty one, retreat to the kitchen and get a new one of her own), and that's our breaking point. That's the point she sits back down and starts eating for herself and ignoring him.
also!! the first time she sings the hook, it's just her, but the second time, you can hear young women or even girls singing in the background, much louder and with more audible anger.
I appreciate you reacting to this song with an open mind. I've found that many men who listened to this song found it rather insulting and they couldn't relate or whatever, or didn't try to understand the lyrics with their double meaning. But the song isn't to talk bad about men, but rather to bring light onto all the emotional labor women went through back then and even now in today's society. In equal households, with two parents working, OFTEN, the woman would be the one doing all the chores and taking care of the kids, prepping them for school, go grocery shopping, cook food, help the kids with homeworks, etc. Never having a break is exhausting, and all women ask, is for a little bit of appreciation and someone to help lift some weight from her shoulders.
FR, in my family, both my parents are working and my mother works from 9 to 6 yet she has to wake up at 5 am in the morning to cook for the WHOLE family, drive me to school and when she comes back from a tiring day at work, she still has to cook, clean and do the laundry whereas my father sits back and watches TV. However, my dad has noticed her efforts and is offering more help to her now, but she kind of refuses for some things because he's not as efficient as her.
Young man, you are a perfect example of how Gen-z is the generation with the heart and compassion to, for the first time in history, have the chance to change the world. (Shame on all of the people I have seen who put down gen-z and call them things like “lazy“ or “soft“ or saying that the young men are not “masculine” enough. The heart and compassion I see in this generation brings me to tears and it’s not something I do almost ever.) I’m a millennial and my husband is Gen X and although each generation gets a little bit better than the last when it comes to things like racism, misogyny, body shaming, homophobia, transphobia… Gen-Z is like a light at the end of the tunnel that gives me the first hope I’ve had in so long for this world. Thank you for this video.
Right! I'm Gen Z and so many boys in my class help their mothers and do domestic chores that would not have been doen by sons in the previous generations.
Finally someone who doesnt hate on gen z. Plus people who say "men today are too weak to fight in wars" like its a bad thing that men dont wanna fight in wars
Definitely but Also think like cooking, cleaning, caring for your husband can be seen as an act of love but it’s not if she’s forced to do those things
Fact check it, but I read that in some states there's legal rape if you're married. Also: 43 states have marriage age at 12 or other aged minors, but no divorce filings until 18. How is this a thing?!
No, there's this backwards idea that if a woman is following your directions, that's love and what's best for them. Like "Women love working in the kitchen! That's why they belong there!" 🙄 Like yeah, if I beat your ass every time you came out of the kitchen if you didn't make me a hot pocket, you'd love the kitchen too, you dipshit. Also, yeah, sexual assault. Definitely a thing. Just because it's your spouse doesn't mean they have the right to forgo consent. And for the guy asking about child divorces and child marriage, it does get worse; in many of those same states, you can get married to a child underage, (usually this happens in church/cults or something like that) r%pe that child underage, and then basically hand the police your marriage certificate as a "no pedo" pass for being a pedophile. Because it can't be CM, CR, or statutory r%pe if you are married, apparently. And let me circle y'all back to your own findings of how divorce may not be possible until 18. ...Yup. We live in hell and call it life instead of admitting we're dead every year.
You’re the first guy that I’ve watched react to this song who actually truly understands the lyrics and symbolisms. Most of the men understood it about 50% but were missing so many things that you instantly picked up on and understood right away.
She gave us the anthem to feed us, to sustain us. To carry us to the release. And then she gave us the build up, the back story, OUR back story, our culture back story, to hype us up, to help us feel heard, and to fulfill us. This is our mother's mother muted cry that we can scream to the high table, just so we can flip it.
I cant sing this without fucking crying. Too many women/people can relate to this. Especially with the line where shes speaking of being held over a cliff edge by her neck. Another thing that causes capillaries to break...and that lift a finger means more than just not doing anything. This completely encompasses the 6 year abusive relationship I was in. Adding the pomegranate for Persephone was an amazing symbol
There is something in this song... something that invokes something deep inside of me, like the rage of all my female ancestors piling up. This song seems to invoke the weight of our collective history as women, that is still not over. We've fought so hard, but much is still the same.
I cant believe I have not heard this song b4 now..I am 54 and have been in an abusive relationship (physical but mostly emotional) for 21 yrs..i almost had the courage to leave 3 years ago but then he lost both hands and has no one else to take care of him.. Our marriage was not always bad in the beginning years however the last 7 years have been torture..this song brings out alot of anger inside of me..i wish I could of had the courage to leave years ago but maybe one day I will get to live again free as ever.. Prayers to all the women or men that are in the same situation
It also can symbolise the story of Adam and Lilith. Lilith fleed after Adam tried to force her to submit to him, and he told God to bring her back if she wants to come back. She said no, and they said they’d drown her in the seas around the garden. ‘Let me go into the waves below’. Paris doesn’t mind drowning, loosing oxygen. She doesn’t want the man to be the one who choses that for her. She wants to be like Lilith, making her own choice to leave him that may kill her, but it would be worth it. As well as ‘who tends the orchards’ and more is also a reference to the garden of Eden
This song can represent ALL women in EVERY NATION of EVERY RACE or CULTURE in EVERY ERA, even today is both powerful, and also shows how sick it is. Every race, every era, every nation collectively decided to treat women as lesser, as subhuman. It's so bad, when we find instances of women not being treated like literal breeding stock, or with slightly better rights we actually label it as "feminist". Oh, the Mongols let women be fighters they must be feminist. Oh, the Spartans didn't treat their women like slaves, they must be feminist. Oh, look, a scarce amount of things a woman can do without a man's permission, that must mean they are better off there! Then today: Oh, women can vote so misogyny must not exist anymore. (Like women aren't being killed for trying to leave, raped, sex trafficked, forced into marriages, acid attacks, honor killings, and ignored by doctors.)
That's not true in the slightest, all societies treat women as different, respecting their different abilities and role. Women have always been spared combat because men love women. "breeding stock" does that make men a "ATM machine"? I don't see how childless spinters are happier than grandmothers surrounded by a loving family.
@@crown9413 So you're going to look at how women have been spared from combat and ignore everything else we have had to go through? Your going to forget the huge systematic and global issues of r*pe and s*xual harassment; women being notoriously used for their bodies does NOT sound like respect to me. She referred to women as "breeding stock" bcs that just is how some men treat women; in a dehumanising way, where how they feel is rarely accounted for, whilst they're expected to on top of all that carry a child and be primarily responsible for it. And studies have absolutely shown that unmarried women are the happiest, so I'm going to believe the facts above your speculation. Stay mad about it; it will still remain true. 😁
@@crown9413you fit the shoe of the problem. You ignored everything in favor of spinning it to a man's problems which is one of the problems, you only bring up mens problems to shut down women talking about theirs. Every culture has had a problem of being controlling, high expectations, cruelty, and more towards their women. It's evident everywhere and not being able to see it is a choice and not a good one. Period.
@@onethatdoesart5650 What expectations? What cruelty? You'll have to enlighten me to this invisible oppression, what responsibility does a woman bare that a man does not? You can't make baseless claims and then say I should just believe you. If you see every single culture as controlling, what dodgy thing do you want to do, that every culture has evolved to have an interest in stopping? I would disagree, society has extremely low standards for women, too low. And so feckless women take advantage. Women and society crumbles around us.
So many of the lyrics double up in meaning it’s insane “So that he never lifts a finger” so that he can be lazy but also so he doesn’t hit you. “It’s not an act of love if you make her” she’s not doing the things she does out of her love for you but also it’s not lovemaking if she didn’t consent. “Weaponize false incompetence” claiming that he didn’t know his treatment of her hurt her and how could he know if she never spoke up as if empathy is some alien concept but also that she has to do all the work that she does because he doesn’t know how, as if it can’t be learned. And of course labor, childbirth being the obvious one but also when men were out working women would have to do menial labor like making everything in the house function and tending to fields which provided most of the food present, without grain, fruits and vegetables that meal would’ve consisted of very meager meat.
Really appreciating seeing younger male reactors vibing to this song and so easily saying "oh yeah, what a poetic take on the historic oppression of women." I'm an elder millennial woman with young nieces and this is my 100% my Rage Song, but seeing younger guys than me online hearing it and openly GETTING IT on "live" video makes me think....hey, I think the kids are gonna be alright.
I think the pomegranate symbolism is really interesting because like of course it represents femininity and the fruits of her labor like you said, but, it kind of reminded me of Persephone and the pomegranate seeds. That probably has nothing to do with this music video but, when she cracks the pomegranate open it reminds me of how Persephone ate the pomegranate and was stuck with a man that she didn’t necessarily want to be with, and it could also tie into the first bit of the song “why are you hanging on so tight to that rope that I’m hanging from” and “this was an escape plan, carefully timed it, so let go and dive into the waves below.” I’m probably over analyzing but I thought I’d share it because I think it’s cool. Edit- it’s so cool to see everyone else’s ideas for the whole pomegranate symbolism, I think they’re so cool and also, Paris Paloma recently released “labour the cacophony” and the cover is a pomegranate that has been split open, so I feel like we’ve been proved right.
Pomegranate is also one of the leading contenders for what fruit Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, kicking off original sin and the misogyny that comes of men blaming women for all of their problems.
I thought the same thing with Persephone, she ate 6 Pomegranate seeds (depending on which translation) and that's what makes her stuck returning to Hades every year-when Hades kidnapped her in the first place. The symbolism is spot on.
I’m a bit late but wanted to add that the pomegranate was a reference to the fruits of a woman’s labor like you said but Paris actually has a song called “The fruits” that displays that same message so it’s almost like a bit of lore or tribute to her song as well.
That's really cool. I didn't know that story about persephone. It fits in so well so I wouldn't be surprised if that was also related to the pomegranate symbolism.
I've listened to a lot of music from tiktok and at least 95% of the time the full song never lives up to the short clip on tiktok. This is probably the biggest exception to this. Labour sounds like a real song with a beginning, middle, and end instead of 2 minutes of preamble before whatever part blew up on tiktok comes in.
yes, but to focus on that one line, by a guy who is showing he understands a lot of suffering women go through and is showing support for the rise against it, is shooting ourselves in the foot a bit
This song makes me cry, this was my last relationship. End to end. It’s been cathartic as hell listening to it everyday, learning and singing along like it’s a prayer that I need to survive 😭
This song makes me angry because so many women in my family have husbands that never pull their own weight, and when the women in my family call them out, or buckle under the pressure, or lash out because they’re being stretched thin like a rubber band, the men in my family say they’re “overreacting” or they say that “it’s just house work” or “it’s not that hard”. It DISGUSTS me I have seen my mother simply ask one of the men in my family to put a jar back in the cupboard one they’ve used it. He starts being mean to her acting like it’s the hardest thing ever to put a jar away. He literally said “anything else” as if she’s just asked him to wash the dishes, to the laundry, broom and mop the floors and cook food for a whole family.
I left my ex husband 2 years ago, and the moment she ripped into the pomegranate i started crying because THAT conveyed the exact feeling of seeing our apartment in my rearview mirror. The strength needed to leave these situations is immeasurable, i only wish with all of my being that the women who came before us had been able to feel the surge of power and freedom and relief that came with leaving their abusers.
The style of the video is Momento Mori-An art style that depicts death through still life paintings. Art Appreciation class really came through for me.
I feel like this song is more like a recognition for the world to know, for people to know the amount of real work women had to and still have to go through. Many lines of this song, the lyrics hold so much power and in many different aspects. One of my favourite lines being “if we had a daughter, I’d watch and could not save her”, meaning her as the mother role would have to watch her daughter go through the same fate as her because “women don’t get a say”. Women are still fighting for their rights and having this song released has opened many minds, reconnecting the past and the continuing struggle for the future. “24/7 baby machine, so he could live out his picket fence dreams” holds a lot of meaning. Women are used a lot for their customer service and bodies. It hurts to know that women still have to run fundraisers and communities and online pages to be set free from the “male dominance”, like, it’s like they’re kept in a cage and are just used. It’s so sad, and I feel for these poor women who still need to fight. A lot of men out there think it’s okay to have women js to be a baby maker. Women have gone through such a history. Like, it went from being called a witch to a b[]ch, from being sold to being used, from being loved to being abused, from being a daughter, mother, sister, friend, partner to someone else’s problem. A woman is not an object and should never be taken as one. All women are queens for the amount of work they put it. Even if they’re trans women, biological women, teenage girls, little girls, they all go through it. They all go through something. Something they don’t deserve. Every woman is a queen and should be treated like one. I really love this song because it really brings out realism and feminism. We love women and all that they do. I love this song because she really brings out history and everyday lives. I have a lot to say about this and this song basically covers all of what I want to say. It may not be every man, but every woman has a story, an experience, a quote, a life.
Yeah I'm a bit disappointed in how historical the video was in that it kind of implies this is a thing of the past now. That said i do get that for a lot of people this awakened a whole shitstorm of generational trauma and it's kind of ancestral too but i do wish that had been made clear that it's not all in the past.
I also love how, in the song, she's listing forms of women's labor that's overlooked and unpaid: household labor, emotional labor, domestic labor, water-collection, childrearing
So the thing is, there's actually a lot of variations to the stories in greek androman, mythology. A good example of this is how medusa is seen as a monster in the myths that survived to modern day when in reality, she was a symbol of female empowerment and someone who would avenged women who were abused and beaten by their husbands. Similar things happened with persephone. Historically speaking, timeline, was she is actually older than hades, and has always been associated with death, And in many of the original tellings, she ate that pomegranate willingly. Which is where a lot of lore olympus comes from. And even in the Retellings where hades did trick her, Unlike many of the other male gods who were known for constantly cheating on and terrorizing and finding ways to belittle their wives, Hades was always the doting, kind compassionate husband. @-chenlanying5818
This song isn’t about politics. That was the biggest lie that men bout into that somehow women’s rage and plight is part of some political point. THIS song is how we all-not just women in relationships-feel about men. Emotional labor is there to have to protect ourselves even when we’re single. It’s freaking exhausting and I hope you and every man was listening and comprehending the lyrics as more than some medieval plight. This is our reality.
@@16poetisathat's the lie. Because when we make the personal political it becomes debatable. It would never be debatable on whether or not treating women as more than what the hook lists. Debates are also rarely about actual right and wrong. It's wrong to treat other people as worth less than oneself. Making it "political" makes the oppression and abuse abstract rather than a daily reality that persists. Rooting misogyny, and honestly bigotry in general, out is made more and more difficult when we just shrug and say things like the personal is political
@@nyxskids The phrase "the personal is political" means very much the opposite of making personal struggles abstract and divided from people's lived reality. To quote the Wikipedia article on the slogan: "It underscored the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures."
@16poetisa except that a lot of these problems (emotional manipulation, or unequal division of labor for example) aren't anything that are existing laws for, nor would there be any practical way to enforce it by any government. That's why this isn't necessarily political. It goes down deeper, down to the moral fabric of culture itself.
@@corinneconverse6070 "Political" doesn't mean exclusively having to do with politics. It means having to do with power, which is of course reflected in the entire fabric of society, including government.
For me this song is representative of my relationship with my ex. He went to work and made the money, but that was all he did. He expected me to do everything else. Cleaning, cooking, running errands, making his appointments for him, waking him up every day for work, laying out his clothes, packing his lunch, and so much more. He never thanked me for anything. And if I dared to be anything but happy to be essentially his maid, he would say I was ungrateful and that he could find someone else that would deserve him. He also wanted me to be pregnant so we did that too. Multiple miscarriages. He was obsessed with having a child. I never managed to carry one to term. It got very bad and very dark for me. Eventually I decided that it was either I leave and try to make a better life for myself or I was going to die.
Same here. He says he never asks me to do anything but he EXPECTS me to do everything. Plus work then come home cook clean laundry. And yes I have to be Disney happy while doing it all.
I love that when she finally eats she cracks into a pomegranate. It looks like blood but pomegranate is typically a symbol of femininity, fertility and female sexuality so her digging into it almost is like a reclaiming of those things. So good.
Honestly I think “its not an act of love if you make her” is a subtle hint to the overturn of roe vs wade and sa because babies are a product of love but if these women don’t truly have a choice is it then truly love?
@@sarahriddle499that makes sense but given the anthemic nature of the song and how the politics of the US can spread even when it's horrifying like the Dobbs decision... I can't imagine it wasn't a major factor in her process somewhere
Another thing to add, pomegranate was actually thought to be the original fruit of temptation in the garden of Eden. Really interesting that she is tearing it apart and that was the first thing she ate- she’s given into the temptation to make the move to save herself.
I've been watching a few reactions to Paris, you are the first man to actually understand it's full meaning. the layering voices, the dual (even triple) meanings, the visuals, etc... all form an absolute masterpiece.
The chorus amazes me. It's not loud, there is no yelling, no screaming, it's not loud, it's very subdued. But the lyrics, her voice, the music makes it ooze rage out of every pore...a rage that's not allowed to be screamed to the world.
This covering history and generational trauma and coming out around the same time as Eat Your Young by Hozier which also covers history and generational trauma meant I got fed real well.
This is the best reaction video I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ve seen a lot. One of my pet peeves is when they stop the video at a good part and don’t back it up and re-watch it to get the whole effect. So 🙏 The two things that got me from this video/song was the lyric “at least I’ve got to try” [to leave him]. And then she’s reclaiming her autonomy when she starts eating. BUT with the pomegranate it made me think of the Hades and Persephone myth where she’s trapped BY eating pomegranate. And then the “try” part of the lyrics. I just know how abusive relationships can be and getting out is a lot harder than it should be. She’s not able to do it for herself but she gets the motivation to leave when she thinks about it happening to someone else. The problem is that her daughter is hypothetical and it might not be enough. I just think the lyrics and the pomegranate might be a little hint that it’s not always so easy to leave. And they don’t always get out
This is the best reaction I've seen. I am stoked that this guy is the first reaction to notice that she is being treated like an "indentured servant." In other reaction videos, people have said that the female character "doesn't like the marital imbalance," but it is far more than that and this guy sees that her husband dehumanizes her and treats her as staff. That IS the difference, and it's far too common. The reaction guy also caught a lot of the symbolism. One thing I see differently is that the husband was summoning his wife to get up and wait on him when he tapped his goblet with his knife. What she had in her hands appeared to be a washbowl and water for him to clean his hands after dining. It was demeaning that he didn't even speak to her. It was all about him and his needs. She nearly did get up at his command, but then sat down, grabbed the highly symbolic pomegranate, and ate it in defiance of her husband's summons. It remains common in many cultures for women to only serve while the men eat, only eating the remaining scraps in the kitchen after fully cleaning the table.
"For somebody I thought was my savior" - reminds me that not to long ago, life was really hard for an unmarried woman (if she was a commoner). It wasn't until the 60's or 70's women were allowed a creditcard or opening a bank account on her own. I'm sure it was a bit about dreaming of true love for many, but getting married was for a long time (still is in many countrties) stacking the cards for your own survival.
A pomegranate was Captain America on the sigil for everything like when she would write letters she would stamp on the back in wax up pomegranate so it does represent femininity in a way but it's also kind of representing blood because it's red and how the way she eats it is representing the blood of everyone of all the women that's gone through this terrible terrible system and that it might not be happening as much now but it's still is in a sense
I already loved the song but your reaction- the inherent instant understanding, you just got it unlike so many male reactors who instantly jump straight to “not all men” before the song is even finished, you’ll go far and I wish u all the best
I’ve been watching different people react to this song and it amazes me the different thoughts. The middle age guys literally never figured out what the song was about. This guy got it instantly and loved it. It just proves that men aren’t inherently stupid awful people. I want to hug this guys mom. Good job!
Pomegranate is also the fruit Hades fed Persephone that would keep her for three months every year in Tartarus which is why Demeter curses the earth in winter where nothing grows.
Great review of this wonderful video...I know Paris & her band and so pleased she & her videos are being recognised from RUclips reviewers...your review is spot on.
It's also really powerful to notice that a lot of the work she's talking about isn't just work that women did in history. These are the tasks girls and women are doing *now*. "Who fetches the water" is a *big* thing that women (and girls) spend hours and hours doing.
The ending is so amazing to me. The way the pommegranate juice looks like blood and she is stuffing it into her mouth almost violently all while singing about how everything is too much to handle. She's working herself to death, visibly bleeding..and her husband smiles at her. The symbolism is breathtaking. For the first time in this video he's shown appreciation / satisfaction, and it's only when she's working herself to death. Then he averts his eyes, looking at the table in a displeased manner as if she's supposed to clean it. He doesn't care for her, he cares for her work. For what she's doing for him. And once he is about to speak up and ask why the table is still set, she's gone. She worked herself to death and he didn't even care. No, he was mad that there's nobody there to do the work for him anymore.
It doesn't "feel" as political because she's connecting her personal experiences to the generations of women before her. There's a heavy burden in all the historical and intergenerational trauma we've inherited as women. Also, finally, a reactor who uses captions for the lyrics!
The pomegranate was also more than likely the fruit that Eve and then Adam ate in the Garden of Eden, it got changed to an apple in later translations. So yeah, multiple levels of symbolism. As a mid-40s woman who saved myself from a few abusive relationships since my youth, this song has become my new anthem, I'm utterly obsessed. I don't have Tiktok so I actually heard it on Pandora recently for the first time. I love how you are just grinning and jamming towards the end, I do the exact same thing watching this video, lol. If anyone hasn't seen the RAK studios live session of this song, with cellos/violins and a chorus, look it up, it's stunning. Enjoyed this reaction, came across it today because I've been listening to this song, will check out more of your videos!
The pomegranate holds many representations in this song. •Hades tricking Persephone. •The fruits of our (women’s) labor. •The blood and tears women sacrifice for men who are toxic and/or don’t appreciate them. •The blood, sweat, and tears of the women who came before them (ancestors).
I love this song because, even if you've never been in a relationship like this, every woman can still relate to it because we've still experienced the mindset and had to deal with the stereotypes
Appreciate your take on this. Unfortunately it isn’t a “political issue”, it’s a human rights issue. This has not changed over centuries & the larger issue is the patriarchy that keeps women oppressed at large. Enough is enough!
I have chills when I hear this song. Her voice sounds like the mother inside of me that suffered so much emotional abuse, yet still tended to 5 step children, 2 of my own children and the abuse of a drowning alcoholic/addict. Let's just say I am reminded of the time when I was pregnant and barefoot, carrying in wood because he never made his older kids do it.
Paris Paloma has another arrangement of "Labour" called "LABOUR (the cacophony) which includes a chorus of other female creators who added videos of their singing or lip synching and it was POWERFUL!
I’ve just discovered this song and it’s laid me out. It’s perfection in lyrics and visuals and hits for just about every woman’s experience through time. Great reaction.
You can actually see the candle burn out over the course of the video. Halfway through the video, the candle is close to running out of wax (I don't know what it's called exactly, sorry) and the symbolism is so powerful.
this was such a good reaction! all the other reactions i’ve seen, they’ve either spoke about the music video but not the lyrics or the lyrics and not the video but you managed to pay attention to detail to both the video and lyrics
Love how you noticed the candle. Ive seen so many reviews on this song, where the candle isn't mentioned :) I saw a review where they talked about the guy looking confused when she started speaking up- bc he was unaware of his actions. But I think he was fully aware of his actions.
I'm glad the message is being understood. Still, there isn't a way for cis, straight men to understand the completely and deeply rooted rage for the scars left by millennia of patriarchy this song has awakened in all women and feminine humans. This... this is absolutely something all female and feminine humans can relate to. Not only cis woman. Everyone in this world, if born with feminine physical or behavioural or both traits and characteristics, will be treated as less than masculine straight honourable cis men. This song is one of those to be immensely felt. And I feel it deep in my bones every time I hear it, to the point I get shiver EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. *"All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid, nymph, then a virgin, nurse then a servant, so that he never lifts a finger. Twenty-four-seven baby machine, so he can live on his picket fence dreams. It's not an act of love if you serve her, you make me do too much labour."* This is something to be heard and completely understood by all, but only one group of people can truly feel the meaning of this so fully. My favourite lines are: *"Apologies from my tongue, and never yours* *Busy lapping from flowing cup and stabbing with your fork* *I know you're a smart man (I know you're a smart man), and weaponise* *The false incompetence, it's dominance under a guise"* (And simply from my perspective. But I know of many people who fit each and every one of the words, verses and lines of this song).
My mom deals with this everyday. My dad just sits around and does nothing. He may have work and all but our mom works endless shifts every night and day. She works two jobs. She used to have one place to work at but now there’s two, but she works mostly at her second job since it’s like a hotel and she does housekeeping or something like that. My dad he works one. Sure I don’t know what goes on at his work but hell, mom is working two jobs, does all the chores in the house when she’s off. And you don’t even move your damn butt of the f*cking couch. Me and my siblings help her sometimes though. One thing I know is that if my dad were to complain about something my mom was doing, I will be sure to speak some facts about his lazy ass on couch and not doing anything. Funny thing is, that he doesn’t feed us! Our mom cooks dinner and makes sure we eat. Him? He just cares about himself.
It works bc it is deep in our historical roots of this type of behavior... So it isn't pushy bc it is bringing an ancient feel to a very real issue over our history and even to now... Though I feel things are way far from those times, we still have work to do... But it definitely isn't pushy, but does bring the facts up for sure! And the rapid listing of the things women are expected to be is just too powerful! I know men have the same things, but one is usually held at a higher status and it still shows today.
Her talking about the silence in her bed chamber hints to SA, along with the line “it’s not an act of love if you make her“ this is a really sad reality. 😢
The pomegranate is such a great piece of symbolism, not only symbolizing the fruits of her labour and femininity, but could also be a reference to the Ancient Greek myth if Hades and Persephone when Hades is forcing Persephone to stay in the underworld just like how the man in the sense of the song (why are you hanging in so tight, so let me go, dominance under a guise) is forcing the woman to stay in the abusive relationship
I love that you acknowledge the lyricism in the song. I also like how you went about pointing out all the symbolism in the video. It says a lot about your knowledge on the subject as you never over-explain it. But I need you to be aware that my favorite part was you being already done with the guy halfway through the song and just going "I hope she shoots him or something"😂😭😂
She is pregnant, isn't she? "If our love died" might be an abortion plan, so the child does not share her fate if it was a girl. She is a 24/7 baby machine except for when she is pregnant. During that time there is silence in the bedchamber. And she told us from the start, this is an escape plan. She wants to escape to either have an abortion or have the child somewhere else.
So many meanings throughout the song and the video Kinda like how the video has a strong medieval visual but the lyrics themselves are very modern making it feel like even today women are still treated in this antiquated cruelty.
To make my ladies in here feel a bit better, im watching this in a bubble bath and my hubby brought me a bowl of veggies, dip and a huge glass of ice water on a tray for me to snack on whilst i relax. So i love this song but its not relatable in my home thank god
Oh I just thought that maybe ‘if our love died, would that be the worst thing’ might also be in reference to a child that died during birth essentially protecting it from a life of pain
The pomegrante also holds a major role in the story of Hades and Persephone. Hades traps Persephone in the Underworld by tricking her into eating a pomegrante. Therefore I believe that Paris breaking the pomegrante in half represents her breaking his control over her.
One thing I truthfully wish people would notice more is when she leans forward and says “it’s not an act of love if you make her, you make me do too much labor”. Throughout the entire time, she is sitting back from the candles and she has a constant shadow over her face. But the moment she leans forward, her shadow disappears and she is being lit by the candles. I may be seeing to much into it, but the idea of forcing yourself into the light so that they can see you is amazing. Often times we have to do such things just so that men can see us and our work.
The pomegranate is also in Christian tradition the fruit that Eve ate from the tree, and has been used as a reason why women need to submit to men in Christianity, because she ate the fruit…
Him tapping his glass was giving her permission to clear his table, not permission to eat. She wasn’t eating because she’s disgusted by him, or afraid to. Sure, he can start eating first but she, by how relations used to be, can eat after he’s taken the first bite (I could be wrong).
I watched 2 guys a few years older than you react to this song and it took them to the end to understand the meanings in the song let alone pick up on the symbolism in the video. Thank you for seeing it and understanding. Thank you.
This guy is a modern man 100%. Enlightened, empathetic, empowered by women doing great things even when he might easily get his ego bruised if he was less evolved. We need more men who understand that masculinity is not knuckle-dragging.
My favorite line is probably when she talks about if they had a daughter. My daughter was the biggest reason I finally kicked out my abusive ex husband and reduced his influence in her life as much as I could. Girls gravitate toward men like their fathers because that's the model of the male they know. I didn't want her grow up thinking that's how she should be treated by men. I wanted and always want better for her than that. I don't want her getting sucked into the delusion that my generation and generations before me of women have been fed almost from the cradle.
You keep making this about Women's History. It's not history. It's gotten better. But it's still something women constantly struggle with. I've met the type of man being sung about. To a 'T'. This man still exists today. It's not History.
![Paris Paloma - labour [Official Video] Reaction](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iCMOfzE2Wbg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Paris Paloma - labour [Official Video] Reaction](/img/tr.png)
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
Not enough people talk about the candle, which is really clever & subtle. She lights her candle, every day from how short it’s getting, symbolising that she is tending her marriage, to keep the flame alive, even if it means she burns out. His candle is never lit. It sits by his right hand, unburned. Showing he’s put no care into the relationship, that there’s no duality to this marriage.
Also it going out and her disappearing can have multiple meanings, perhaps she finally got to escape, maybe she died, and if so did she unalive herself or did he unalive her?
@@nyxskidsI hadn’t even thought of that! I only saw her self/her relationship burning out not the idea of her possibly dying-this video sparks so many ideas!
@@Fates1Embrace my mum was a cps/social/mental health worker her entire career and she fostered a bunch of kids, including me. It's hard for me to not see the darkest possibilities. I'm glad that there are people that can remind me that there are positive or at least less dark conclusions to draw. I appreciate the wide variety of comments this song/video have inspired us fans to add to the already deep meaning of the song/video
@@nyxskids I’m sorry that your world was filled with so much dark, I really wish that nobody had to endure it. This video & song has brought so much creativity, so many perspectives & so much to discuss, & it’s things that are definitely needed to discuss so we can learn & hopefully make the world a better place, even if it’s just a bit & just for a moment.
Good observations.
I think it’s so cool that a lot of the lyrics have a dual meaning. Many women’s capillaries break during labor also lift a finger could be lazy or physical abuse. They don’t show their faces but we know who is the woman bc she’s serving him. So many layers!
Yes, I looked like I got into a fight after the birth of my son. My eyes and face broke capillaries and blood vessels.
There is also , "it's not an act of love if you make her" could be about her severeing him not being love because she is focused but also about r*pe. Also labor means both work but is also associated with pregnancy
there's even a third meaning, so that he doesn't point a finger and put the blame on her
And also the line "If our love died, would that be a bad thing?" could not only mean the abusive and toxic relationship between the two, but also like some sort of abortion plan, like if she had a daughter it wouldn't really be a bad thing if she had an abortion so the child wouldn't have to go through the same thing as her
it's such a fucking great song
And the double standards women face, too... the "Therapist, mother, maid," part gutted me.
The thing I love most about the hook at the end is that the choral voices are children. This bullshit starts for women when they're little girls and follows them their whole lives.
Considering the whole song can be read as the final words of a woman han*ing herself to avoid potentially giving birth to another girl, it makes a lot of sense to do that.
Such a powerful song wow
The thing about this song is that women today feel this too. We're expected to have children and bend to impossible lengths to fit what society demands of us.
Labor breaks out bodies and we barely get leave from work- we're the first parent who is expected to juggle everything and care for the kids, but as soon as that child misbehaves, they ask where the father is. Men argue over who holds the rights to our bodies and some simply take what they want without regard for our wishes.
This song brings out such a deep anger at the way our ancestors were treated, our great great great grandmothers and aunts, how their stories and their inventions, achievements and lives are credited to men. Sadly the fight for women's rights is far from over and will never be. Paris Paloma has given us an anthem to scream at the top of our lungs about the injustice of being named the weaker gender throughout history, despite being given most of the labor. So many lines have double or triple meanings- "So that he never lifts a finger" So he doesn't do any work- but also, so he never raises a hand to hurt her.
Ridiculous song, who built the roads, the houses, who built power grid and the plumbing? Who gets drafted in wars? Objectively men work longer hours on more physically draining work to the point where they die much younger. You pretend you have no say in your relationships like you have some prehistoric slaver beating you if you step out of line. "Juggle everything and care for the kids" What kids? the birth rate is through the floor. We are richer than our grandparents, you have more ability to can choose not to work if you want or find a husband who will cut his hours, you just will have to sacrifice some luxuries.
Women make up the majority of the electorate thus politicians push through the things they want even if most of the representatives are men.
Western women are the most pampered in history yet feel like they are the most oppressed.
Or to cast blame
Yes sing it loud ladies this song hits me so deep and love the way he talks about this song proof some men are not just dogs and some really understand our struggles❤❤to u!!
Some of it is specific to modern times. 'picket fence dreams' is very much a mid-20th century image.
Yah the song isn't about medieval times. It's about today.
This song reminds me of my grandmother.
She gave my grandfather six children and took care of the home while holding down a job and trying to keep their marriage together and going and in the end he left her for his secretary.
Reminds me of me lol
This is my mother except dad is too much of a b*tch and is determined to stay married till he suck the life out of her
When people say " our grand parents marriages used to last, unlike this generation" It was because a lot of women on your granny situation either accept the side piece or face scorn from being divorced. Those 40 yr marriages were mostly build on the silent suffering of women. Meanwhile the dudes had a whole generation of comedians saying ha,ha she is a nag, the old ball and chain, she got fat am I right guys ? they just let themselves go after the 5 th kid.
One element I'd like to add is the tap against the goblet. He's not signaling that it's her time to eat, he's *summoning* her. His plate is full of his scraps and he needs it taken away (and probably a new plate). She stands up instantly, her plate in hand (presumably in the regular dynamic she would hand him her plate, take his dirty one, retreat to the kitchen and get a new one of her own), and that's our breaking point. That's the point she sits back down and starts eating for herself and ignoring him.
Oh my gosh, thanks for pointing it out!
YES! THIS! I was going to comment the same thing but this is way better put than I would've managed
Came here to say this too!
This scene seemed more like he tapped the glass, so she can clean his area up and wash his dishes before she could eat the leftovers.
I hate coming from a background where I legitimately know this piece of 'table etiquette' like it's an okay thing to do.
also!! the first time she sings the hook, it's just her, but the second time, you can hear young women or even girls singing in the background, much louder and with more audible anger.
I appreciate you reacting to this song with an open mind. I've found that many men who listened to this song found it rather insulting and they couldn't relate or whatever, or didn't try to understand the lyrics with their double meaning. But the song isn't to talk bad about men, but rather to bring light onto all the emotional labor women went through back then and even now in today's society. In equal households, with two parents working, OFTEN, the woman would be the one doing all the chores and taking care of the kids, prepping them for school, go grocery shopping, cook food, help the kids with homeworks, etc. Never having a break is exhausting, and all women ask, is for a little bit of appreciation and someone to help lift some weight from her shoulders.
ugh any man offended by this song needs to grow up and wake up to the reality of a women's world.
FR, in my family, both my parents are working and my mother works from 9 to 6 yet she has to wake up at 5 am in the morning to cook for the WHOLE family, drive me to school and when she comes back from a tiring day at work, she still has to cook, clean and do the laundry whereas my father sits back and watches TV. However, my dad has noticed her efforts and is offering more help to her now, but she kind of refuses for some things because he's not as efficient as her.
Anyone offended is exactly what this song is talking about.
as a man i literally love this song and the message and how powerful it is, any man who gets insulted by it can go f off
@@raenia3655 your mother is so strong tell her you are proud!!!!
Young man, you are a perfect example of how Gen-z is the generation with the heart and compassion to, for the first time in history, have the chance to change the world. (Shame on all of the people I have seen who put down gen-z and call them things like “lazy“ or “soft“ or saying that the young men are not “masculine” enough. The heart and compassion I see in this generation brings me to tears and it’s not something I do almost ever.) I’m a millennial and my husband is Gen X and although each generation gets a little bit better than the last when it comes to things like racism, misogyny, body shaming, homophobia, transphobia… Gen-Z is like a light at the end of the tunnel that gives me the first hope I’ve had in so long for this world. Thank you for this video.
Right! I'm Gen Z and so many boys in my class help their mothers and do domestic chores that would not have been doen by sons in the previous generations.
I’m also millennial and completely agree
Finally someone who doesnt hate on gen z. Plus people who say "men today are too weak to fight in wars" like its a bad thing that men dont wanna fight in wars
i also think that the part "its not an act of love if you make her" refers to like, sexual assault and forcing himself on his wife ykwim?
Definitely but Also think like cooking, cleaning, caring for your husband can be seen as an act of love but it’s not if she’s forced to do those things
Fact check it, but I read that in some states there's legal rape if you're married. Also: 43 states have marriage age at 12 or other aged minors, but no divorce filings until 18. How is this a thing?!
No, there's this backwards idea that if a woman is following your directions, that's love and what's best for them.
Like "Women love working in the kitchen! That's why they belong there!" 🙄
Like yeah, if I beat your ass every time you came out of the kitchen if you didn't make me a hot pocket, you'd love the kitchen too, you dipshit.
Also, yeah, sexual assault. Definitely a thing.
Just because it's your spouse doesn't mean they have the right to forgo consent. And for the guy asking about child divorces and child marriage, it does get worse; in many of those same states, you can get married to a child underage, (usually this happens in church/cults or something like that) r%pe that child underage, and then basically hand the police your marriage certificate as a "no pedo" pass for being a pedophile. Because it can't be CM, CR, or statutory r%pe if you are married, apparently. And let me circle y'all back to your own findings of how divorce may not be possible until 18.
...Yup. We live in hell and call it life instead of admitting we're dead every year.
@@amykruse6887 plus a 12 year old wife can’t go to a shelter. She’s trapped.
I thought that too...
You’re the first guy that I’ve watched react to this song who actually truly understands the lyrics and symbolisms. Most of the men understood it about 50% but were missing so many things that you instantly picked up on and understood right away.
soo trueee
She gave us the anthem to feed us, to sustain us. To carry us to the release. And then she gave us the build up, the back story, OUR back story, our culture back story, to hype us up, to help us feel heard, and to fulfill us. This is our mother's mother muted cry that we can scream to the high table, just so we can flip it.
u put it beautifully
❤
❤❤❤❤
I cant sing this without fucking crying. Too many women/people can relate to this. Especially with the line where shes speaking of being held over a cliff edge by her neck. Another thing that causes capillaries to break...and that lift a finger means more than just not doing anything. This completely encompasses the 6 year abusive relationship I was in.
Adding the pomegranate for Persephone was an amazing symbol
I used to cry about it but now I just scream the lyrics to the universe
There is something in this song... something that invokes something deep inside of me, like the rage of all my female ancestors piling up. This song seems to invoke the weight of our collective history as women, that is still not over. We've fought so hard, but much is still the same.
I cant believe I have not heard this song b4 now..I am 54 and have been in an abusive relationship (physical but mostly emotional) for 21 yrs..i almost had the courage to leave 3 years ago but then he lost both hands and has no one else to take care of him.. Our marriage was not always bad in the beginning years however the last 7 years have been torture..this song brings out alot of anger inside of me..i wish I could of had the courage to leave years ago but maybe one day I will get to live again free as ever..
Prayers to all the women or men that are in the same situation
It also can symbolise the story of Adam and Lilith. Lilith fleed after Adam tried to force her to submit to him, and he told God to bring her back if she wants to come back. She said no, and they said they’d drown her in the seas around the garden. ‘Let me go into the waves below’. Paris doesn’t mind drowning, loosing oxygen. She doesn’t want the man to be the one who choses that for her. She wants to be like Lilith, making her own choice to leave him that may kill her, but it would be worth it. As well as ‘who tends the orchards’ and more is also a reference to the garden of Eden
As well as, lift a finger also symbolises she’s like a puppet. He ‘lifts a finger’ and she does something against her own will
This song can represent ALL women in EVERY NATION of EVERY RACE or CULTURE in EVERY ERA, even today is both powerful, and also shows how sick it is.
Every race, every era, every nation collectively decided to treat women as lesser, as subhuman.
It's so bad, when we find instances of women not being treated like literal breeding stock, or with slightly better rights we actually label it as "feminist".
Oh, the Mongols let women be fighters they must be feminist.
Oh, the Spartans didn't treat their women like slaves, they must be feminist.
Oh, look, a scarce amount of things a woman can do without a man's permission, that must mean they are better off there!
Then today: Oh, women can vote so misogyny must not exist anymore. (Like women aren't being killed for trying to leave, raped, sex trafficked, forced into marriages, acid attacks, honor killings, and ignored by doctors.)
u said it perfectly
That's not true in the slightest, all societies treat women as different, respecting their different abilities and role. Women have always been spared combat because men love women.
"breeding stock" does that make men a "ATM machine"? I don't see how childless spinters are happier than grandmothers surrounded by a loving family.
@@crown9413 So you're going to look at how women have been spared from combat and ignore everything else we have had to go through? Your going to forget the huge systematic and global issues of r*pe and s*xual harassment; women being notoriously used for their bodies does NOT sound like respect to me.
She referred to women as "breeding stock" bcs that just is how some men treat women; in a dehumanising way, where how they feel is rarely accounted for, whilst they're expected to on top of all that carry a child and be primarily responsible for it.
And studies have absolutely shown that unmarried women are the happiest, so I'm going to believe the facts above your speculation. Stay mad about it; it will still remain true. 😁
@@crown9413you fit the shoe of the problem. You ignored everything in favor of spinning it to a man's problems which is one of the problems, you only bring up mens problems to shut down women talking about theirs. Every culture has had a problem of being controlling, high expectations, cruelty, and more towards their women. It's evident everywhere and not being able to see it is a choice and not a good one. Period.
@@onethatdoesart5650 What expectations? What cruelty? You'll have to enlighten me to this invisible oppression, what responsibility does a woman bare that a man does not? You can't make baseless claims and then say I should just believe you.
If you see every single culture as controlling, what dodgy thing do you want to do, that every culture has evolved to have an interest in stopping?
I would disagree, society has extremely low standards for women, too low. And so feckless women take advantage. Women and society crumbles around us.
the backing vocals in the part that went viral on tik tok is mostly kids too, showing how this is a reality we've known since childhood
So many of the lyrics double up in meaning it’s insane
“So that he never lifts a finger” so that he can be lazy but also so he doesn’t hit you.
“It’s not an act of love if you make her” she’s not doing the things she does out of her love for you but also it’s not lovemaking if she didn’t consent.
“Weaponize false incompetence” claiming that he didn’t know his treatment of her hurt her and how could he know if she never spoke up as if empathy is some alien concept but also that she has to do all the work that she does because he doesn’t know how, as if it can’t be learned.
And of course labor, childbirth being the obvious one but also when men were out working women would have to do menial labor like making everything in the house function and tending to fields which provided most of the food present, without grain, fruits and vegetables that meal would’ve consisted of very meager meat.
Or doing something so badly he's never asked to do it again is also weaponized incompetence. Men conciously do this shit all the time.
Really appreciating seeing younger male reactors vibing to this song and so easily saying "oh yeah, what a poetic take on the historic oppression of women." I'm an elder millennial woman with young nieces and this is my 100% my Rage Song, but seeing younger guys than me online hearing it and openly GETTING IT on "live" video makes me think....hey, I think the kids are gonna be alright.
I think the pomegranate symbolism is really interesting because like of course it represents femininity and the fruits of her labor like you said, but, it kind of reminded me of Persephone and the pomegranate seeds. That probably has nothing to do with this music video but, when she cracks the pomegranate open it reminds me of how Persephone ate the pomegranate and was stuck with a man that she didn’t necessarily want to be with, and it could also tie into the first bit of the song “why are you hanging on so tight to that rope that I’m hanging from” and “this was an escape plan, carefully timed it, so let go and dive into the waves below.”
I’m probably over analyzing but I thought I’d share it because I think it’s cool.
Edit- it’s so cool to see everyone else’s ideas for the whole pomegranate symbolism, I think they’re so cool and also, Paris Paloma recently released “labour the cacophony” and the cover is a pomegranate that has been split open, so I feel like we’ve been proved right.
Pomegranate is also one of the leading contenders for what fruit Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, kicking off original sin and the misogyny that comes of men blaming women for all of their problems.
I thought the same thing with Persephone, she ate 6 Pomegranate seeds (depending on which translation) and that's what makes her stuck returning to Hades every year-when Hades kidnapped her in the first place. The symbolism is spot on.
I’m a bit late but wanted to add that the pomegranate was a reference to the fruits of a woman’s labor like you said but Paris actually has a song called “The fruits” that displays that same message so it’s almost like a bit of lore or tribute to her song as well.
Oh that was absolutely intentional on her part, the parallels and symbolism and power of persephone’s story is just too strong to be a coincidence
That's really cool. I didn't know that story about persephone. It fits in so well so I wouldn't be surprised if that was also related to the pomegranate symbolism.
I've listened to a lot of music from tiktok and at least 95% of the time the full song never lives up to the short clip on tiktok. This is probably the biggest exception to this. Labour sounds like a real song with a beginning, middle, and end instead of 2 minutes of preamble before whatever part blew up on tiktok comes in.
it’s not politics, it’s reality.
Fr its what every woman has to grapple with living in society.
its both
Yes.
@@beckybarnes8875 and yes.
yes, but to focus on that one line, by a guy who is showing he understands a lot of suffering women go through and is showing support for the rise against it, is shooting ourselves in the foot a bit
This song makes me cry, this was my last relationship. End to end. It’s been cathartic as hell listening to it everyday, learning and singing along like it’s a prayer that I need to survive 😭
This song makes me angry because so many women in my family have husbands that never pull their own weight, and when the women in my family call them out, or buckle under the pressure, or lash out because they’re being stretched thin like a rubber band, the men in my family say they’re “overreacting” or they say that “it’s just house work” or “it’s not that hard”. It DISGUSTS me I have seen my mother simply ask one of the men in my family to put a jar back in the cupboard one they’ve used it. He starts being mean to her acting like it’s the hardest thing ever to put a jar away. He literally said “anything else” as if she’s just asked him to wash the dishes, to the laundry, broom and mop the floors and cook food for a whole family.
I left my ex husband 2 years ago, and the moment she ripped into the pomegranate i started crying because THAT conveyed the exact feeling of seeing our apartment in my rearview mirror. The strength needed to leave these situations is immeasurable, i only wish with all of my being that the women who came before us had been able to feel the surge of power and freedom and relief that came with leaving their abusers.
The style of the video is Momento Mori-An art style that depicts death through still life paintings. Art Appreciation class really came through for me.
I feel like this song is more like a recognition for the world to know, for people to know the amount of real work women had to and still have to go through. Many lines of this song, the lyrics hold so much power and in many different aspects. One of my favourite lines being “if we had a daughter, I’d watch and could not save her”, meaning her as the mother role would have to watch her daughter go through the same fate as her because “women don’t get a say”. Women are still fighting for their rights and having this song released has opened many minds, reconnecting the past and the continuing struggle for the future.
“24/7 baby machine, so he could live out his picket fence dreams” holds a lot of meaning. Women are used a lot for their customer service and bodies. It hurts to know that women still have to run fundraisers and communities and online pages to be set free from the “male dominance”, like, it’s like they’re kept in a cage and are just used. It’s so sad, and I feel for these poor women who still need to fight. A lot of men out there think it’s okay to have women js to be a baby maker.
Women have gone through such a history. Like, it went from being called a witch to a b[]ch, from being sold to being used, from being loved to being abused, from being a daughter, mother, sister, friend, partner to someone else’s problem. A woman is not an object and should never be taken as one. All women are queens for the amount of work they put it. Even if they’re trans women, biological women, teenage girls, little girls, they all go through it. They all go through something. Something they don’t deserve. Every woman is a queen and should be treated like one.
I really love this song because it really brings out realism and feminism. We love women and all that they do. I love this song because she really brings out history and everyday lives. I have a lot to say about this and this song basically covers all of what I want to say.
It may not be every man, but every woman has a story, an experience, a quote, a life.
I would have loved to have seen the final shot go from a historical period to modern. Just him sitting at an empty table. Such a great song. ❤
Yeah I'm a bit disappointed in how historical the video was in that it kind of implies this is a thing of the past now. That said i do get that for a lot of people this awakened a whole shitstorm of generational trauma and it's kind of ancestral too but i do wish that had been made clear that it's not all in the past.
That would've be brilliant.
And the fact when the therapist, mother line comes up gradually small children voices also large up
No one talks about the title. LABOR. As in giving birth, giving labor. How deeply a woman is tied to suffering
I also love how, in the song, she's listing forms of women's labor that's overlooked and unpaid: household labor, emotional labor, domestic labor, water-collection, childrearing
not to mention the pomegranate was was hades used to trap persephone in the underworld
This tho!
As well as what people believe the real forbidden fruit of Eden was. Not the apple.
That's why i hate Lore Olympus and how people romanticized Hades and Persphone story
So the thing is, there's actually a lot of variations to the stories in greek androman, mythology. A good example of this is how medusa is seen as a monster in the myths that survived to modern day when in reality, she was a symbol of female empowerment and someone who would avenged women who were abused and beaten by their husbands. Similar things happened with persephone. Historically speaking, timeline, was she is actually older than hades, and has always been associated with death, And in many of the original tellings, she ate that pomegranate willingly. Which is where a lot of lore olympus comes from. And even in the Retellings where hades did trick her, Unlike many of the other male gods who were known for constantly cheating on and terrorizing and finding ways to belittle their wives, Hades was always the doting, kind compassionate husband. @-chenlanying5818
You should also listen to 'the fruits' by Paris , it is quite similar and also brings more of a religious tone to the story
The setting is renaissance, the lyrics can EASILY fit most marriages today… only clothing and setting changed.
This song isn’t about politics. That was the biggest lie that men bout into that somehow women’s rage and plight is part of some political point.
THIS song is how we all-not just women in relationships-feel about men. Emotional labor is there to have to protect ourselves even when we’re single. It’s freaking exhausting and I hope you and every man was listening and comprehending the lyrics as more than some medieval plight. This is our reality.
Mm, but as the saying goes, the personal is political.
@@16poetisathat's the lie. Because when we make the personal political it becomes debatable. It would never be debatable on whether or not treating women as more than what the hook lists. Debates are also rarely about actual right and wrong. It's wrong to treat other people as worth less than oneself.
Making it "political" makes the oppression and abuse abstract rather than a daily reality that persists. Rooting misogyny, and honestly bigotry in general, out is made more and more difficult when we just shrug and say things like the personal is political
@@nyxskids The phrase "the personal is political" means very much the opposite of making personal struggles abstract and divided from people's lived reality.
To quote the Wikipedia article on the slogan: "It underscored the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures."
@16poetisa except that a lot of these problems (emotional manipulation, or unequal division of labor for example) aren't anything that are existing laws for, nor would there be any practical way to enforce it by any government. That's why this isn't necessarily political. It goes down deeper, down to the moral fabric of culture itself.
@@corinneconverse6070 "Political" doesn't mean exclusively having to do with politics. It means having to do with power, which is of course reflected in the entire fabric of society, including government.
For me this song is representative of my relationship with my ex. He went to work and made the money, but that was all he did. He expected me to do everything else. Cleaning, cooking, running errands, making his appointments for him, waking him up every day for work, laying out his clothes, packing his lunch, and so much more. He never thanked me for anything. And if I dared to be anything but happy to be essentially his maid, he would say I was ungrateful and that he could find someone else that would deserve him. He also wanted me to be pregnant so we did that too. Multiple miscarriages. He was obsessed with having a child. I never managed to carry one to term. It got very bad and very dark for me. Eventually I decided that it was either I leave and try to make a better life for myself or I was going to die.
I was in a relationship with a man who took me for granted
I hope everything went well for you❤ Big hugs ❤
Same here. He says he never asks me to do anything but he EXPECTS me to do everything. Plus work then come home cook clean laundry. And yes I have to be Disney happy while doing it all.
"So that he never lifts a finger" I see that as not only about housework ect, but also a Domestic violence reference.
This is most women’s lives though. Even now. That’s what draws us in, that’s why it’s viral.
The pomegranate also symbolises an aphrodisiac yet it looks like blood when she’s eating it.
I love that when she finally eats she cracks into a pomegranate. It looks like blood but pomegranate is typically a symbol of femininity, fertility and female sexuality so her digging into it almost is like a reclaiming of those things. So good.
I love that you appreciate the meaning of each lyric 💕 it’s so important that men can recognize women’s experiences too
Honestly I think “its not an act of love if you make her” is a subtle hint to the overturn of roe vs wade and sa because babies are a product of love but if these women don’t truly have a choice is it then truly love?
She’s British, I don’t think it was a direct reference specifically to roe v wade. But the general idea is there.
@@sarahriddle499that makes sense but given the anthemic nature of the song and how the politics of the US can spread even when it's horrifying like the Dobbs decision... I can't imagine it wasn't a major factor in her process somewhere
It's an allusion to sexual coercion.
Agreed, the timing lines up too
Could very well be referring to marital rape
i love that they added the candles, hers is burning all the way down and his isn't even lit.
Another thing to add, pomegranate was actually thought to be the original fruit of temptation in the garden of Eden. Really interesting that she is tearing it apart and that was the first thing she ate- she’s given into the temptation to make the move to save herself.
I've been watching a few reactions to Paris, you are the first man to actually understand it's full meaning. the layering voices, the dual (even triple) meanings, the visuals, etc... all form an absolute masterpiece.
love this reaction, you choose really appropriate words to describe the situation
The chorus amazes me. It's not loud, there is no yelling, no screaming, it's not loud, it's very subdued. But the lyrics, her voice, the music makes it ooze rage out of every pore...a rage that's not allowed to be screamed to the world.
"It's not an act of love if you make her" Marital r*pe is the most common type of r*pe. That line is so powerful.
This covering history and generational trauma and coming out around the same time as Eat Your Young by Hozier which also covers history and generational trauma meant I got fed real well.
This is the best reaction video I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ve seen a lot. One of my pet peeves is when they stop the video at a good part and don’t back it up and re-watch it to get the whole effect. So 🙏
The two things that got me from this video/song was the lyric “at least I’ve got to try” [to leave him]. And then she’s reclaiming her autonomy when she starts eating. BUT with the pomegranate it made me think of the Hades and Persephone myth where she’s trapped BY eating pomegranate. And then the “try” part of the lyrics. I just know how abusive relationships can be and getting out is a lot harder than it should be. She’s not able to do it for herself but she gets the motivation to leave when she thinks about it happening to someone else. The problem is that her daughter is hypothetical and it might not be enough. I just think the lyrics and the pomegranate might be a little hint that it’s not always so easy to leave. And they don’t always get out
U got liked by the creator and me congrats 👏
@@Laiba.k AND I got a comment from you too! 💃💃💃
Lol I actually feel like you somehow ~knew~ that I’m not used to engaging social media
This is the best reaction I've seen. I am stoked that this guy is the first reaction to notice that she is being treated like an "indentured servant." In other reaction videos, people have said that the female character "doesn't like the marital imbalance," but it is far more than that and this guy sees that her husband dehumanizes her and treats her as staff. That IS the difference, and it's far too common. The reaction guy also caught a lot of the symbolism.
One thing I see differently is that the husband was summoning his wife to get up and wait on him when he tapped his goblet with his knife. What she had in her hands appeared to be a washbowl and water for him to clean his hands after dining. It was demeaning that he didn't even speak to her. It was all about him and his needs. She nearly did get up at his command, but then sat down, grabbed the highly symbolic pomegranate, and ate it in defiance of her husband's summons. It remains common in many cultures for women to only serve while the men eat, only eating the remaining scraps in the kitchen after fully cleaning the table.
Every woman who listens to this song can hear the rage in it, while most men only hear cutesy girl voice.
This is an anthem - not about politics. About how we are tired.
"For somebody I thought was my savior" - reminds me that not to long ago, life was really hard for an unmarried woman (if she was a commoner). It wasn't until the 60's or 70's women were allowed a creditcard or opening a bank account on her own. I'm sure it was a bit about dreaming of true love for many, but getting married was for a long time (still is in many countrties) stacking the cards for your own survival.
A pomegranate was Captain America on the sigil for everything like when she would write letters she would stamp on the back in wax up pomegranate so it does represent femininity in a way but it's also kind of representing blood because it's red and how the way she eats it is representing the blood of everyone of all the women that's gone through this terrible terrible system and that it might not be happening as much now but it's still is in a sense
Catherine of Aragon instead it camewhat it came with us Captain America
I already loved the song but your reaction- the inherent instant understanding, you just got it unlike so many male reactors who instantly jump straight to “not all men” before the song is even finished, you’ll go far and I wish u all the best
I’ve been watching different people react to this song and it amazes me the different thoughts. The middle age guys literally never figured out what the song was about. This guy got it instantly and loved it. It just proves that men aren’t inherently stupid awful people. I want to hug this guys mom. Good job!
Pomegranate is also the fruit Hades fed Persephone that would keep her for three months every year in Tartarus which is why Demeter curses the earth in winter where nothing grows.
Great review of this wonderful video...I know Paris & her band and so pleased she & her videos are being recognised from RUclips reviewers...your review is spot on.
I will share your review of Paris and watch more of yours..you are obviously very wise!
It's also really powerful to notice that a lot of the work she's talking about isn't just work that women did in history. These are the tasks girls and women are doing *now*. "Who fetches the water" is a *big* thing that women (and girls) spend hours and hours doing.
The ending is so amazing to me.
The way the pommegranate juice looks like blood and she is stuffing it into her mouth almost violently all while singing about how everything is too much to handle. She's working herself to death, visibly bleeding..and her husband smiles at her.
The symbolism is breathtaking.
For the first time in this video he's shown appreciation / satisfaction, and it's only when she's working herself to death.
Then he averts his eyes, looking at the table in a displeased manner as if she's supposed to clean it. He doesn't care for her, he cares for her work. For what she's doing for him.
And once he is about to speak up and ask why the table is still set, she's gone.
She worked herself to death and he didn't even care. No, he was mad that there's nobody there to do the work for him anymore.
It doesn't "feel" as political because she's connecting her personal experiences to the generations of women before her. There's a heavy burden in all the historical and intergenerational trauma we've inherited as women.
Also, finally, a reactor who uses captions for the lyrics!
The pomegranate was also more than likely the fruit that Eve and then Adam ate in the Garden of Eden, it got changed to an apple in later translations. So yeah, multiple levels of symbolism.
As a mid-40s woman who saved myself from a few abusive relationships since my youth, this song has become my new anthem, I'm utterly obsessed. I don't have Tiktok so I actually heard it on Pandora recently for the first time. I love how you are just grinning and jamming towards the end, I do the exact same thing watching this video, lol.
If anyone hasn't seen the RAK studios live session of this song, with cellos/violins and a chorus, look it up, it's stunning.
Enjoyed this reaction, came across it today because I've been listening to this song, will check out more of your videos!
Yes! that version is 🔥🔥🔥
The pomegranate holds many representations in this song.
•Hades tricking Persephone.
•The fruits of our (women’s) labor.
•The blood and tears women sacrifice for men who are toxic and/or don’t appreciate them.
•The blood, sweat, and tears of the women who came before them (ancestors).
This song always makes me think of King Henry the 8th wives, knowing how they were only used to give him sons
... six wives.
Henry VIII had six wives.
@lunar-1340 They didn't say 8 wives they said Henry the 8th's wives I think they just missed an apostrophe
Catherine of Aragon’s badge was the pomegranate. Another association is with fertility - she was ‘promising’ to give him heirs.
I love this song because, even if you've never been in a relationship like this, every woman can still relate to it because we've still experienced the mindset and had to deal with the stereotypes
Appreciate your take on this. Unfortunately it isn’t a “political issue”, it’s a human rights issue. This has not changed over centuries & the larger issue is the patriarchy that keeps women oppressed at large. Enough is enough!
I like the fact that every time he loves it he's like "I fucking love it!"
I have chills when I hear this song. Her voice sounds like the mother inside of me that suffered so much emotional abuse, yet still tended to 5 step children, 2 of my own children and the abuse of a drowning alcoholic/addict. Let's just say I am reminded of the time when I was pregnant and barefoot, carrying in wood because he never made his older kids do it.
Paris Paloma has another arrangement of "Labour" called "LABOUR (the cacophony) which includes a chorus of other female creators who added videos of their singing or lip synching and it was POWERFUL!
I’ve just discovered this song and it’s laid me out. It’s perfection in lyrics and visuals and hits for just about every woman’s experience through time. Great reaction.
As an American, I think this video has a lot deeper meaning than you’re even thinking.
I'm obsessed with this song I can't stop listening to it
You can actually see the candle burn out over the course of the video. Halfway through the video, the candle is close to running out of wax (I don't know what it's called exactly, sorry) and the symbolism is so powerful.
this was such a good reaction! all the other reactions i’ve seen, they’ve either spoke about the music video but not the lyrics or the lyrics and not the video but you managed to pay attention to detail to both the video and lyrics
So many meanings and so many dual meanings and it’s lovely, I could go on for hours about them and the meanings and all of it.
This is my new fave song I love it so much!
Love how you noticed the candle. Ive seen so many reviews on this song, where the candle isn't mentioned :) I saw a review where they talked about the guy looking confused when she started speaking up- bc he was unaware of his actions. But I think he was fully aware of his actions.
I'm glad the message is being understood. Still, there isn't a way for cis, straight men to understand the completely and deeply rooted rage for the scars left by millennia of patriarchy this song has awakened in all women and feminine humans. This... this is absolutely something all female and feminine humans can relate to. Not only cis woman. Everyone in this world, if born with feminine physical or behavioural or both traits and characteristics, will be treated as less than masculine straight honourable cis men. This song is one of those to be immensely felt. And I feel it deep in my bones every time I hear it, to the point I get shiver EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
*"All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid, nymph, then a virgin, nurse then a servant, so that he never lifts a finger. Twenty-four-seven baby machine, so he can live on his picket fence dreams. It's not an act of love if you serve her, you make me do too much labour."*
This is something to be heard and completely understood by all, but only one group of people can truly feel the meaning of this so fully.
My favourite lines are:
*"Apologies from my tongue, and never yours*
*Busy lapping from flowing cup and stabbing with your fork*
*I know you're a smart man (I know you're a smart man), and weaponise*
*The false incompetence, it's dominance under a guise"*
(And simply from my perspective. But I know of many people who fit each and every one of the words, verses and lines of this song).
My mom deals with this everyday. My dad just sits around and does nothing. He may have work and all but our mom works endless shifts every night and day. She works two jobs. She used to have one place to work at but now there’s two, but she works mostly at her second job since it’s like a hotel and she does housekeeping or something like that. My dad he works one. Sure I don’t know what goes on at his work but hell, mom is working two jobs, does all the chores in the house when she’s off. And you don’t even move your damn butt of the f*cking couch. Me and my siblings help her sometimes though. One thing I know is that if my dad were to complain about something my mom was doing, I will be sure to speak some facts about his lazy ass on couch and not doing anything. Funny thing is, that he doesn’t feed us! Our mom cooks dinner and makes sure we eat. Him? He just cares about himself.
Same thing here...
It works bc it is deep in our historical roots of this type of behavior... So it isn't pushy bc it is bringing an ancient feel to a very real issue over our history and even to now... Though I feel things are way far from those times, we still have work to do... But it definitely isn't pushy, but does bring the facts up for sure! And the rapid listing of the things women are expected to be is just too powerful! I know men have the same things, but one is usually held at a higher status and it still shows today.
Exactly! Her lyrics are perfect!
Hi, finally a reaction to such a good song. I loved it thank you so much and have a nice day or night.
Greetings from Germany from me (Xenia)😊
Oh mein got, I h bin gerade über dein Kommentar gestolpert, güse aus Dresden von Xenia:)
@@xeniageorgi4956nice 😂dir auch Grüße 😊
Her talking about the silence in her bed chamber hints to SA, along with the line “it’s not an act of love if you make her“
this is a really sad reality. 😢
The pomegranate is such a great piece of symbolism, not only symbolizing the fruits of her labour and femininity, but could also be a reference to the Ancient Greek myth if Hades and Persephone when Hades is forcing Persephone to stay in the underworld just like how the man in the sense of the song (why are you hanging in so tight, so let me go, dominance under a guise) is forcing the woman to stay in the abusive relationship
I love that you acknowledge the lyricism in the song. I also like how you went about pointing out all the symbolism in the video. It says a lot about your knowledge on the subject as you never over-explain it. But I need you to be aware that my favorite part was you being already done with the guy halfway through the song and just going "I hope she shoots him or something"😂😭😂
Best reaction video on this song that I've seen!
She is pregnant, isn't she? "If our love died" might be an abortion plan, so the child does not share her fate if it was a girl. She is a 24/7 baby machine except for when she is pregnant. During that time there is silence in the bedchamber. And she told us from the start, this is an escape plan. She wants to escape to either have an abortion or have the child somewhere else.
Good point.
So many meanings throughout the song and the video
Kinda like how the video has a strong medieval visual but the lyrics themselves are very modern making it feel like even today women are still treated in this antiquated cruelty.
@@nyxskids because we as a society haven't fully shedded that cruelty yet
@@corinneconverse6070 I'm sadly all too aware. Sorry my comment came off so naive
I was getting Persephone vibes from the scene where’s she’s eating the pomegranate.
To make my ladies in here feel a bit better, im watching this in a bubble bath and my hubby brought me a bowl of veggies, dip and a huge glass of ice water on a tray for me to snack on whilst i relax. So i love this song but its not relatable in my home thank god
Thanks for the react ! Your reaction is the best so far and you understood the meaning and symbolism. 👏
Oh I just thought that maybe ‘if our love died, would that be the worst thing’ might also be in reference to a child that died during birth essentially protecting it from a life of pain
The pomegrante also holds a major role in the story of Hades and Persephone. Hades traps Persephone in the Underworld by tricking her into eating a pomegrante. Therefore I believe that Paris breaking the pomegrante in half represents her breaking his control over her.
Yes!
One thing I truthfully wish people would notice more is when she leans forward and says “it’s not an act of love if you make her, you make me do too much labor”. Throughout the entire time, she is sitting back from the candles and she has a constant shadow over her face. But the moment she leans forward, her shadow disappears and she is being lit by the candles.
I may be seeing to much into it, but the idea of forcing yourself into the light so that they can see you is amazing. Often times we have to do such things just so that men can see us and our work.
The pomegranate is also in Christian tradition the fruit that Eve ate from the tree, and has been used as a reason why women need to submit to men in Christianity, because she ate the fruit…
AND I didn’t even think about the Greek tragedy involving Persephone being enslaved via pomegranate by Hades.
Such an excellent analysis of this one. Well done!
It's the power of all the candles. She looks like a goddess
Him tapping his glass was giving her permission to clear his table, not permission to eat. She wasn’t eating because she’s disgusted by him, or afraid to. Sure, he can start eating first but she, by how relations used to be, can eat after he’s taken the first bite (I could be wrong).
I watched 2 guys a few years older than you react to this song and it took them to the end to understand the meanings in the song let alone pick up on the symbolism in the video. Thank you for seeing it and understanding. Thank you.
This guy is a modern man 100%. Enlightened, empathetic, empowered by women doing great things even when he might easily get his ego bruised if he was less evolved. We need more men who understand that masculinity is not knuckle-dragging.
Every time I listen to this song I can hear my foremothers screaming. ✊
Like mother Mary
I'm obsessed with watching men's reaction to this brilliant track (and vid). A+++ for your insight and understanding. ❤
Also the pomegranate is a nod to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Some think Apple, but Pomegranates Latin name means forbidden.
My favorite line is probably when she talks about if they had a daughter. My daughter was the biggest reason I finally kicked out my abusive ex husband and reduced his influence in her life as much as I could. Girls gravitate toward men like their fathers because that's the model of the male they know. I didn't want her grow up thinking that's how she should be treated by men. I wanted and always want better for her than that. I don't want her getting sucked into the delusion that my generation and generations before me of women have been fed almost from the cradle.
You keep making this about Women's History.
It's not history. It's gotten better. But it's still something women constantly struggle with. I've met the type of man being sung about. To a 'T'.
This man still exists today.
It's not History.
An amazing reaction!