"POWDER" is a song by Melanie Martinez featured as the fourteenth track on the deluxe edition of her third studio album, PORTALS. It was released on April 5, 2023, with no prior promotion.
Theme[]
The song's theme seems to be about a person in a toxic relationship with someone who is struggling with addiction and destructive behaviors. The lyrics suggest that the narrator knows the other person needs help, but they refuse to seek it. The repeated reference to "powder" could be a metaphor for drugs or a symbol of the destructive behavior the person is engaging in. The chorus and post-chorus suggest a sense of helplessness and inability to answer the other person's calls for help. Overall, the song may be exploring themes of codependency, enabling and the difficulty of breaking away from a toxic relationship.
This song is presumably a part of a series of tracks on the album which Melanie calls as "Conflict Songs". This song along with "MILK OF THE SIREN" are presumed to be the conflict songs added to the deluxe edition of PORTALS, with "LEECHES", "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX", "THE CONTORTIONIST", "MOON CYCLE" "NYMPHOLOGY", and "EVIL" as the ones added on the standard edition. These songs are about conflict on Earth. According to Melanie on her Instagram highlights:
"People describe a lot of the after-life to be like a school of sorts, projecting into past lifetimes with people they keep incarnating with, to put themselves in each other's shoes. Showing how they could've best dealt with conflict on earth for next time. These next few songs are about conflict on earth. I'd like to think we all plan these moments together prior to coming here, triggering each other to evolve."
Melanie Martinez
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Verse 1]
Don't wanna know where you go when you’re not around
I'd rather stay naive, too much to believe
Blood falling out from your nose and I'm wondering, "How?"
You glamorize your pain, wear it on display
[Pre-chorus]
And I know it's a cry for help, go help yourself
I opened a million doors, you never go
It's past point of no return, when will we learn?
Alert me when this shit is over
[Chorus]
Lying loud (Through it all)
Cut your face (From the fall)
When you're hurt (Who'd you call?)
I can't answer now
Spent the rent (On a kite)
One-way street (To thе scythe)
Clean it up (Watch it die)
It's yours to decidе
[Post-chorus]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Verse 2]
Show me a picture you painted of someone else
Lived a double life, wish I was surprised
Eyes rolling back to your head, and I'm wondering, "How?"
I recognize your face, put it all to waste
[Pre-chorus]
And I know it's a cry for help, go help yourself
I opened a million doors, you never go
It's past point of no return, when will we learn?
Alert me when this shit is over
[Chorus]
Lying loud (Through it all)
Cut your face (From the fall)
When you're hurt (Who'd you call?)
I can't answer now
Spent the rent (On a kite)
One way street (To the scythe)
Clean it up (Watch it die)
It's yours to decide
[Post-chorus]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Pre-chorus]
And I know it's a cry for help, go help yourself
I opened a million doors, you never go
It's past point of no return, when will we learn?
Alert me when this shit is over
[Chorus]
Lying loud (Through it all)
Cut your face (From the fall)
When you're hurt (Who'd you call?)
I can't answer now
Spent the rent (On a kite)
One way street (To the scythe)
Clean it up (Watch it die)
It's yours to decide
[Post-chorus]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Intro]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Verse 1]
Don't wanna know where you go when you’re not around
I'd rather stay naive, too much to believe
Blood falling out from your nose and I'm wondering, "How?"
You glamorize your pain, wear it on display
[Pre-chorus]
And I know it's a cry for help, go help yourself
I opened a million doors, you never go
It's past point of no return, when will we learn?
Alert me when this shit is over
[Chorus]
Lying loud (Through it all)
Cut your face (From the fall)
When you're hurt (Who'd you call?)
I can't answer now
Spent the rent (On a kite)
One-way street (To thе scythe)
Clean it up (Watch it die)
It's yours to decidе
[Post-chorus]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Verse 2]
Show me a picture you painted of someone else
Lived a double life, wish I was surprised
Eyes rolling back to your head, and I'm wondering, "How?"
I recognize your face, put it all to waste
[Pre-chorus]
And I know it's a cry for help, go help yourself
I opened a million doors, you never go
It's past point of no return, when will we learn?
Alert me when this shit is over
[Chorus]
Lying loud (Through it all)
Cut your face (From the fall)
When you're hurt (Who'd you call?)
I can't answer now
Spent the rent (On a kite)
One way street (To the scythe)
Clean it up (Watch it die)
It's yours to decide
[Post-chorus]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
[Pre-chorus]
And I know it's a cry for help, go help yourself
I opened a million doors, you never go
It's past point of no return, when will we learn?
Alert me when this shit is over
[Chorus]
Lying loud (Through it all)
Cut your face (From the fall)
When you're hurt (Who'd you call?)
I can't answer now
Spent the rent (On a kite)
One way street (To the scythe)
Clean it up (Watch it die)
It's yours to decide
[Post-chorus]
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Ah, uh, ah, uh, ah, uh
(Powder, pow-pow-powder)
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | PORTALS | April 5, 2023 | CJ Baran | 2022-2023 | 3:58 |
Live performances[]
"POWDER" was performed at:
- PORTALS Tour (debut performance)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Powder is a euphemism of cocaine, thus integrating into the magical imagery of the album as a probable link to pixie dust.
- It could also be linked to the imagery of mushroom spores as seen in the song's background visuals for the PORTALS Tour.
- "Blood falling out from your nose" alludes to the common side effect of cocaine usage causing nose-bleeding.
- It could also be linked to the imagery of mushroom spores as seen in the song's background visuals for the PORTALS Tour.
- The chorus's melody of this track interpolates the song "Hookers" by Tierra Whack.[1]
- This is the first released song by Melanie to be entirely sung using a vocoder.
- The purpose of this is to simulate the hallucinogenic effects induced by drug use, transporting the listener to the point of view of the person Melanie is talking to in the song.
- This track is considered non-explicit on Spotify and Apple Music despite containing the word "shit".
- During the pre-chorus, Melanie sings "go help yourself" in the lead vocals, but sings "boy help yourself" in the backing vocals.
- Melanie cried during the performance of this song during the PORTALS Tour show in Denver, Colorado on May 30, 2023.
- It was also the first show she performed this song.
- This is Melanie's least streamed song from the deluxe edition of PORTALS, amassing a total of over 24 million streams on Spotify.
- On the standard version, "MOON CYCLE" is the least streamed.
- This track, "Cry Baby" and "Detention" have the same tempo (95 BPM).
References[]
[]
v • e  | |
|---|---|
| Featured tracks | DEATH • VOID • TUNNEL VISION • FAERIE SOIRÉE • LIGHT SHOWER • SPIDER WEB • LEECHES • BATTLE OF THE LARYNX • THE CONTORTIONIST • MOON CYCLE • NYMPHOLOGY • EVIL • WOMB |
| Bonus tracks | THE HATCHING • POWDER • PLUTO • MILK OF THE SIREN |
| Scrapped tracks | Barely Juice • Corpse • Death • Dragon's Blood • Emerald • Fairy Dance • Fingers Crossed • Fragile (unconfirmed) • Garden • Hawaii Space Guitar • Inconsistent Flame • Jinx • Labyrinth (version 1) • Labyrinth (version 2) • Magnets • MENace To Society • Mother of Pearl • Needle and Thread • Not Dead, Just Expired • Puzzles • Synchronicities • Tunnel Vision • Void • Walkie Talkie |
| Characters | The Creature (Cry Baby) • Masked Dancers • Faeries |
| Producers | Melanie Martinez • One Love • CJ Baran • Verde • The 23rd • Pearl Lion • Simon Says • Cautious Clay (deluxe) |
| Extras | Egg hatching • Film • Merchandise • Portals Parfums • Portals: The Game • Melanie Madness |
| Tour | PORTALS Tour • The Trilogy Tour |