Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl
General information
Artist	Melanie Martinez
Recorded	March 9, 2021
Leaked	October 31, 2021
Genre	Alternative
Length	2:33 (see official versions)
Writer(s)	Melanie Martinez Kinetics One Love
Producer(s)	One Love

"Mother of Pearl" is an unreleased song by Melanie Martinez. It was recorded in the sessions of her third studio album, PORTALS, but it was eventually scrapped early on in its development.

The full song was leaked on October 31, 2021.

Background

The song is one of multiple scrapped songs developed and partially recorded during a month of isolation with collaborators, Kinetics & One Love. From February-March 2021 during their stay in Hawaii, Melanie stated on her Instagram post:

🍄💕🌙

In my little cave of creation, isolated for a month in Hawaii. Writing a film and album I feel destined to make. No human interaction, just killing dead parts of myself to make room for the new. ✨✨✨✨ When I create it is the only time the past, present and future all meet me at once. Releasing past feelings from past moments and past lives, by keeping the channel open/antenna out in the present, to be able to co-create with the universe something that will be felt, seen, and heard in the future.

Until then 🧚🏼‍♀️

She then proceeded to post multiple Instagram stories:

I died here, was rebirthed and transformed. The amount of synchronicities I've experienced in this house is staggering. Couldn't have dreamt of a more sacred space to create this album. Only ever coming here to finish this project. 🌻🌷💕

So many deep layers of this album/film were unlocked here🥺 I feel beyond tapped in with my angels and ancestors and truly believe that every melody and every lyric on this record came straight from them.

On March 20, 2022, Melanie Martinez posted a photoshoot she did with Verde. Following this, Verde posted a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot to his Instagram, captioning the post "Mother of Pearl". After a fan had asked if the song was the album's lead single, Melanie replied with:

no, that was just a random song idea that never got finished that got leaked - the actual songs I will be putting out this year y'all haven't even heard yet 💗

Theme

The song is about self-love, self-acceptance, and personal growth. It encourages listeners to recognize their own worth, to value their inner selves, and to understand that true wealth comes from within.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
The fish always sleep in, they swim in piles like the sheep
And the shepherd's drunk off the feeling of power
Scheming and stealing
I got a shell that's protective, I swim alone, it's the best thing
My aura's been through finessing, I don't need to impress you
My value's too high, you think you can afford it?
When your water's so dry and you're lacking abundance
I'm not talking 'bout your pockets, yeah, your wallet means nothing
Talkin' spiritual wealth, how did your heart get so hardened?

[Chorus]
Pearl in a sea full of clown fish
Iridescent when I shine 'cause I'm that bitch
Ballin' then we stay baroque, oh-oh
Baby, I'm born from the inner protection
Crystallized carefully to perfection
Hold me to your chest so close

[Verse 2]
Not just expensive but patient, it took me years to create it
Something so ostentatious that Judas found me allegious
Cover them with my graciousness, they wound me, I'm healing it
And fuck it, I heal them too, what mother of pearl would do
Pay respects to my process, I'm the oyster, the farmer
I'm the pearl that is harvested, polished, pampered, and promised
Then I'm sold as a product to all the jewelry shoppers
The cliché couples who want me to fix all their problems

[Chorus]
Pearl in a sea full of clown fish
Iridescent when I shine 'cause I'm that bitch
Ballin' then we stay baroque, oh-oh
Baby, I'm born from the inner protection
Crystallized carefully to perfection
Hold me to your chest so close

[Verse 1]
The fish always sleep in, they swim in piles like the sheep
And the shepherd's drunk off the feeling of power
Scheming and stealing
I got a shell that's protective, I swim alone, it's the best thing
My aura's been through finessing, I don't need to impress you
My value's too high, you think you can afford it?
When your water's so dry and you're lacking abundance
I'm not talking 'bout your pockets, yeah, your wallet means nothing
Talkin' spiritual wealth, how did your heart get so hardened?

[Chorus]
Pearl in a sea full of clown fish
Iridescent when I shine 'cause I'm that bitch
Ballin' then we stay baroque, oh-oh
Baby, I'm born from the inner protection
Crystallized carefully to perfection
Hold me to your chest so close

[Verse 2]
Not just expensive but patient, it took me years to create it
Something so ostentatious that Judas found me allegious
Cover them with my graciousness, they wound me, I'm healing it
And fuck it, I heal them too, what mother of pearl would do
Pay respects to my process, I'm the oyster, the farmer
I'm the pearl that is harvested, polished, pampered, and promised
Then I'm sold as a product to all the jewelry shoppers
The cliché couples who want me to fix all their problems

[Chorus]
Pearl in a sea full of clown fish
Iridescent when I shine 'cause I'm that bitch
Ballin' then we stay baroque, oh-oh
Baby, I'm born from the inner protection
Crystallized carefully to perfection
Hold me to your chest so close

Official versions

Version	Associated project	Leak date	Producer(s)	Creation date	Length
"beat for the car.mp3" (extended instrumental)	PORTALS	Unleaked	One Love	2020-2021	~10:00 (estimate)
"mother of pearl v0.1.mp3" (final)	PORTALS	October 31, 2021	One Love	March 9, 2021	2:33

Trivia

• This was the first scrapped song from her third studio album to be spoken about directly by Melanie.
• This is one of Melanie's song to contain rapping, the other ones being "Copy Cat", "Field Trip", "Garden", and "NYMPHOLOGY".
• This song was recorded in the same session as "Corpse" and "Puzzles".

References

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