“Highly Emotional People” by MARINA is a song from her fifth studio album titled Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land, which was released in June of 2021. Around the time of the making of the album, Marina was undergoing a public split from her long-term partner of five years, Jack Patterson, who was a member of the musical group Clean Bandit. In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, MARINA shares that the second half of her album, starting from track 5 “Highly Emotional People”, reflects on a time when she was in a relationship with Patterson. 

Though the song is based on a personal experience faced by the singer, the lyrics of the track can be relatable to anyone, especially those who spent their lives being referred to as “highly emotional”. 

The track starts with a melancholic piano instrumental leading to the first verse from MARINA.

“Life is a game that the universe plays, 

We are the pieces in a puzzle called fate, 

Life takes its time in its own fashion,

Emotions unfold like a superbloom in action”

In the first two lines, MARINA describes life as a game that the universe plays and we as humans, are just the game pieces. The singer compares emotions experienced by humans as a superbloom, a rare phenomenon in deserts where a peculiar amount of wildflowers bloom at the same time, creating a landscape covered with assortment of flowers. This can be interpreted as it is inevitable for humans to have and experience emotions as it is not in our control. All we can do when we experience emotions is to let them pass through us and go. 

“The universe hangs like a necklace from God, 

Jewels suspended in the cosmos, 

And it makes me believe 

This is how we’re meant to be”

Although the first verse describes humans as mere game pieces for the universe to play in a puzzle called fate, the universe is merely an accessory to God. The first verse reflects the common existential thoughts all humans ponder which is how significant our existence is to a potential higher power, fate, the universe, and to our relationships. This leads to the chorus of the song. 

“Cause we’re just highly emotional people, 

And you don’t need to hide, 

Sometimes, it’s hard to tell me how you feel, 

I never see you cry, 

I never see you cry”

MARINA sings that as highly emotional people, we should allow ourselves to experience and express our emotions. She reassures the person she is singing this to that they do not need to continue hiding this part of themselves. 

“All of the weight you have carried around, 

Feelings come up, then you push ‘em back down

I feel your pain ‘cause I know life is hard 

But you can let go of the pain in your heart”

In the second verse, it reflects a conversation between two highly emotional people, one who is hiding and one who is not hiding about having emotions. The singer is empathetic to the avoidant person, expressing she has experienced pain too and they can let go of it now by sharing their emotions to her. 

“People say men don’t cry…’Til somebody takes their life, 

Emotions are a part of our design” 

Now in the bridge, MARINA discusses the difficulty men experience when expressing their emotions due to societal pressure, leading many vulnerable men to self-harm. The singer encourages men to express their emotions as it is part of our design as humans and inevitable for us to experience. The song ends with the chorus and with the final lyric, “I never see you cry”. Ultimately, “Highly Emotional People” reflects the struggle humans face in accepting the existence and experience of their emotions with the universe, with their relationships, and with themselves, even though it is just part of our design. 

Check out and listen to Highly Emotional People by MARINA.

Contributing Writer: Ahalya Ravichandran

Image Credits: 

Feature Image Credit: Egor Kosmachev on Unsplash