Read the full lyrics for Florence + the Machine’s song Sympathy Magic. Follow the words for this powerful new track.
The lyrics for Florence + the Machine’s “Sympathy Magic” chart a journey from self-doubt towards a raw, defiant embrace of feeling. The song constructs a narrative about rejecting imposed ideals of worthiness and goodness in favor of cathartic release. This thematic arc makes the lyrics deeply resonant for listeners grappling with similar pressures, providing a powerful vocabulary for emotional liberation. The structure moves from intimate verses to a explosive, chant-driven chorus designed for collective participation.
The opening verses establish a sense of dislocation and internal conflict, with lines that describe a fractured self-image and the lingering pull of past pain. The words convey a feeling of being trapped by expectation and the “vague huminations of fame.” This personal confession builds tension that leads directly into the song’s central thesis. The pre-chorus delivery makes these verses feel like a quiet confession before the musical storm.
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The chorus serves as the song’s triumphant, cathartic core. The lyrics explicitly renounce the pursuit of being “good,” declaring that this virtue failed to provide safety. Instead, the words invite being torn open to receive the “terrible gift” of “sympathy magic,” where the shared experience of a chorus offers solace. This section’s repetitive and anthemic quality makes it ideal for singalongs, transforming personal anguish into a shared, almost ritualistic, release.
The bridge and outro intensify this call, with repeated phrases that build into a hypnotic mantra. The lyrics here are less about narrative and more about incantation, using repetition to create a trance-like state. The complete lyrics for “Sympathy Magic” provide the full text for fans to engage with this emotional journey, from its vulnerable beginnings to its powerful, collective conclusion.
Produced by Danny L Harle, Aaron Dessner, Florence Welch, Solomonophonic
31 October 2025
1 song, 4 minutes
A Polydor Records / Republic Records Recording; ℗ 2025 Universal Music Operations Limited
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Memory fails me, names and faces blur
There is only after, or before
Am I so different? Have I changed?
I do not recognise my face
The scar fades but pulls inside
Tugging at me all the time
Chewing on a feeling and spitting it out
Crouched in a ball gown
Anxious and ashamed
The vague humiliations of fame
[Chorus]
I do not find worthiness a virtue
I no longer try to be good
It didn’t keep me safe
Like you told me that it would
So come on, tear me wide open
A terrible gift
Let the chorus console me
Sympathy magic
[Verse 2]
And light coming in the window just so
And the wind through my fingers
The only God that I know
And it does not want me on my knees to believe
Head high, arms wide
Aching, aching, aching
[Chorus]
And alive
And alive
So I don’t have to be worthy
I no longer try to be good
It didn’t keep me safe
Like you told me that it would
So come on, tear me wide open
‘Til I’m losing my mind
‘Til I cannot contain it
La-da-da-da-da-da-da
[Bridge]
So come on, come on, I can take it
Give me everything you got
What else? What else? What else? What else?
So come on, come on, I can take it
Give me everything you got
What else? What else? What else? What else?
[Outro]
Sympathy magic
Sympathy magic
So come on, come on, I can take it
Sympathy magic
Sympathy magic
So come on, come on, I can take it
(Come on, come on, come on, come on)
Sympathy magic (Come on, come on, come on, come on)
Sympathy magic (Come on)
Sympathy magic (Come on, come on, come on, come on)
Sympathy magic (Come on, come on, come on, come on)
Sympathy magic (Come on, come on, come on, come on)
Sympathy magic (Come on)
Ah!
