We Exist Lyrics

[Bridge]
Let 'em stare, let 'em stare
If that's all they can do
But I'd lose my heart
If I turned away from you

Oh, Daddy don't turn away
You know that I'm so scared
But will you watch me drown?

You know we're going nowhere
We know that we're young
And no shit we're confused

But will you watch us drown?
What are you so afraid to lose?

[Verse 3]
Down on my knees, begging us please
Praying that we don't exist

You're down on your knees, begging us please
Praying that we don't exist

But we exist, we exist
Down on your knees, begging us please
Praying that we don't exist
You're down on your knees, begging us please
Praying that we don't exist
But we exist, we exist
We exist, we exist

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About

Genius Annotation

The second track on Reflektor deals with a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality.

There’s a song on Reflektor called “We Exist”, which is about a gay kid talking to his dad (“Daddy, it’s true, I’m different from you. But tell me why they treat me like this?”). In dominant cultures there’s what’s normal, and everything else is abnormal. It’s one of the darker tendencies of humanity to think everyone should fit into a mould.
-Win Butler, Time Out Magazine

The music video tells the story of a pre-op transwoman. Finally summoning the courage to visit a bar, she is attacked. The realism of the video then disappears; there is a very camp dance sequence, and she is shown performing with the band (footage taken from their Coachella performance in 2014).

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