halsey if i can't have love, i want power

Halsey – 1121 | Lyrics Meaning Explained

“1121” is the eighth track on Halsey’s 2021 album ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.’ This song is a beautiful tribute to Halsey’s baby when she found out she was pregnant.

Halsey released her fourth studio album ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ on August 27, 2021. This is her follow-up project to her highly successful album ‘Manic’ released in 2020. About the new album, Halsey said “This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. It happened by accident. I wasn’t trying to make a political record, or a record that was drowning in its own profundity—I was just writing about how I feel. The reason that the album has sort of this horror theme is because this experience, in a way, has its horrors.”

The song title “1121” (November 21, 2020) is a reference to the date on which Halsey found out she was pregnant with her newborn daughter. On an Instagram Livestream, Halsey revealed the meaning behind the song title; “It’s the day I found out I was pregnant. I was really sick and I thought that I had COVID. But I was just pregnant.”

Listen to “1121” by Halsey

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Halsey ‘1121’ Lyrics Review and Song Meaning

In the song, Halsey sings how she does care to die for love. That is until she had her baby daughter. Her entire perspective on love has seen a paradigm shift since. She sings that she is ready to sacrifice anything for her daughter, including breaking her own heart.

But I won’t die for love
But ever since I met you
You could have my heart

Throughout the album, Halsey has tackled topics of love, self-love, and her take on her life right now. Most of them have not been very positive. However, her baby is the only topic that seems to be cut and dry positive for Halsey right now. Motherhood seems to be the only thing that she enjoys at the moment.

In the first verse, Halsey sings how she was scared of being pregnant. She did not care for all the changes her body went through during this time. However, it was all worth it knowing that she was bringing in life into this world in her image.

Take onе in the temple, my tonguе is a vessel
I try to be careful with the thing inside my chest

Halsey sings about her belly being the temple in which she bears this new life for nine months. She knows this is a crucial time period. Her mouth is the vessel that takes food to this new life she is creating in her. Halsey also says that is very careful about how she treated her heart during this time. It is said that emotions, be it happy or traumatic, experienced by the mother are directly influencing the child that grows inside of her.

In the bridge of the song, Halsey pleads not to leave her in the shape they left her before. She might be talking about her miscarriage in 2016. Miscarriages are often very dangerous for the mother as well. Hence, it does make sense that she sings she is willing to die for motherhood, but not the other way around. It must have been a very traumatizing experience for her at a mere 21-years-old.

Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.

3 thoughts on “Halsey – 1121 | Lyrics Meaning Explained

  1. It’s not confirmed that the baby is a girl or boy, so it is weird to assume a baby’s gender in an article

    1. I watched an interview she did with Nine Inch Nails, can’t remember who was the person interviewing them but in the interview she stated “my son” multiple times.

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