labour

Paris Paloma's song 'labour' delves into the emotional and physical toll of a one-sided relationship where the protagonist feels overburdened by the expectations and demands of their partner. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of someone who is exhausted by the constant giving without receiving the support they need in return. The metaphor of hanging from a rope off an island suggests a feeling of isolation and desperation, with the escape plan indicating a desire to break free from the oppressive situation.

The song's chorus highlights the physical manifestations of this emotional labor, with the capillaries in the eyes bursting and the callous skin on the hands cracking. These images serve to emphasize the severity of the protagonist's distress. The rhetorical questions about whether the end of the love would be a bad thing suggest a deep ambivalence about the relationship's value, hinting that the protagonist might be better off without such a burdensome love.

The repeated roles of therapist, mother, maid, nymph, virgin, nurse, and servant underscore the expectation for the protagonist to fulfill every need of their partner, reducing them to mere appendages whose purpose is to serve. The song criticizes the traditional gender roles and the unequal distribution of emotional labor in relationships. The mention of a potential daughter inheriting the same fate adds a generational aspect to the issue, highlighting the urgency to break the cycle of emotional exploitation.