Mitski

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Let's step carefully into the dark
Once we're in, I'll remember my way around

[Chorus]
Who will I be tonight?
Who will I become tonight?

[Post-Chorus]
I'll show you who my sweetheart's never met
Wet teeth, shining eyes glimmering by a fire

[Verse 2]
Let's drive out to where dust devils are made
By dancing ghosts as they kick up clouds of sand

[Chorus]
Where clouds look like mountains
Clouds look like mountains

[Outro]
Let me watch those mountains from underneath
And maybe they'll finally float off of me

Mitski's Laurel Hell opens with the captivating track "Valentine, Texas." The song starts out with a mellow guitar strum before Mitski's outstanding vocals come in. It tells the story of her trip to the desert town of Valentine, Texas and her awe-inspiring experience there.

About Valentine, Texas

Valentine, Texas is a small, deserted town in the middle of nowhere, founded on Valentine's Day in 1882. It is famous for attracting people towards itself by installing an art installation that seems to be a charm for photo-shoots and music videos. Mitski was influenced by the town's natural beauty and wrote the song en-route to the town while on tour. The song is known for its profound lyrics and resonating melody, which paints a vivid picture of the awe-inspiring natural beauty Mitski experienced in Valentine, Texas.

The song has a sultry, dreamlike quality to it and Mitski's vocals soar above the instrumental. The opening lyrics "Silent highway, dust veiling it" set an eery, mysterious tone and create an image of a deserted desert road. The song is contemplative and introspective, providing listeners with an insightful perspective on Mitski's experience in Valentine, Texas.

The chorus of the song is particularly striking, as Mitski sings "Cause I just want to love you Like it's the only thing I've ever known." The lyrics express Mitski's longing for love and connection, and how the awe-inspiring beauty of Valentine, Texas reminded her of the simplicity of love. Mitski's raw and soulful vocals combined with the poetic lyrics create an emotional and introspective atmosphere that captures the essence of Mitski's experience in the town.

One of the fascinating aspects of Mitski's "Valentine, Texas" is its connection to her early album's opening track, "Texas Reznikoff." The two songs share several similarities, including their state of origin, Texas, and their connection to Mitski's life experiences. "Texas Reznikoff" serves as a prequel to "Valentine, Texas," detailing Mitski's journey through the Lone Star State, culminating in her arrival in Valentine.

In a 2018 interview with Pitchfork, Mitski discussed the inspiration behind "Valentine, Texas" and how she wrote it while on tour. She said, "A long time ago, somewhere in a vast expanse of America, I was in a motel room, and I had closed up the curtains and made it really dark, a mood for myself, and just wrote the first and then the second verse I wrote basically in the car ride over to a show in Marfa, Texas because on the way to Marfa, there's a town called Valentine and it's just desert—it's just like the most deserted desert you've ever seen—and I saw my first dust devils, and the clouds, and everything was just so beautiful, and that's where the second verse comes from."

All in all, Mitski's "Valentine, Texas" is a profound and introspective song that captures the beauty of the small town where it was based and Mitski's experience there. It is a testament to Mitski's talents as a singer-songwriter and a testament to the power of art to capture fleeting but memorable experiences.

• Release Date: February 4, 2022
• Artist: Mitski