ROOM 93 [halsey] // Lyric Analysis

1. Is There Somewhere

In her  for the EP with Spotify, Halsey said it was one of her favorite songs she had ever writte, and went deeper into how the song is a prologue to the project:

" "Is There Somewhere" is like a prologue to the EP 'cause [it's] called Room 93, and it basically just touches on like the human intimacy of hotel rooms and how it's like an alternate universe. It kinda tells the story of a couple in a hotel room, experiencing like a tender moment together and the most notable line is  because it's like a frequently exchanged text message between myself and the person this song's about, and it usually ended up being an hotel room."

Also, this first song of the EP hasn't even got the usual structure that we can find in songs –not only Halsey's, but all-, there isn't any part that's 'typical', but has a unique order and harmony.

"You were dancing in your tube socks, in our hotel room /
Flashing those eyes like highway signs /
Light one up and hand it over /
Rest your head upon my shoulder /
Just wanna feel your lips against my skin"

The first line of the song introduces the whole direction of the EP and the many adventurous scenes displayed in a hotel room:

"The Room 93 EP was my indulgence with my obsession with the isolated feeling of being in a hotel room. As I started traveling and making music, everything was out of hotel rooms: Dating people, having business meetings, trying to keep friendships alive in this isolated prop environment that's like a mock house. 'Oh we're going to make this little thing that's supposed to look like a house but it's not, it's pretend.' It's voyeuristic. It's got this security cam mentality, this feeling of isolation" – with .

These first lines are pretty descriptive, she's giving us pictures of what's happening in this hotel room.

Metaphorically, his eyes alerted and communicated signs to her like she was driving on the highway or she was just so enticed by his looks, she couldn't resist even the smallest motions ("Flashing those eyes, like highway signs"). Her, being comfortable with him is symbolized by the resting of his head on her shoulder.

"White sheets, bright lights /
Crooked teeth in the night life /
You told me this is right where it begins"

White bed sheets are frequently used in hotel rooms, are elegant but at the same time keep themselves neutral.
Halsey and her lover may meet in a hotel room because their affair is illicit and must remain hidden. Whatever events they have had previous, this is a prelude to the romantic affair that's about to occur, to begin in this room.

"But your lips hang heavy, underneath me /
And I promised myself I wouldn't let you complete me"

His "lips hanging heavy" is either an euphemism or an emblem of all the ways he touches her: sexually and deep down into heart and soul.

The listener can already feel the protagonist becoming a victim of love, in which she promised herself she wouldn't let the guy find peace in her fulfilling her heart.

"I'm trying not to let it show /
That I don't wanna let this go /
Is there somewhere you can meet me? /
Cause I clutched your arms like stairway railings /
and you clutched my brain and eased my ailings"

Attempting to play it cool around her lover, her affections are on her sleeve and starting to show that she's falling for him. The second line is the message Halsey commonly sent to her lover.

She feels as he provides her support through slightly dangerous obstacles like a stairway railing assures someone safety up-and-down the stairs. No only he helps her remaining calm, but understands her like no one else does, placing a temporary halt on her loneliness.

"You're writing lines 'bout me, romantic poetry /
Your girl has got red in her cheeks /
Cause we're something she can't see"

He's reading or singing these beautifully written poems or lyrics to his girlfriend as if they're about her. His girlfriend is oblivious to the truth of his affair and the mistress who currently holds his heart.

The guy she's with has been writing and acting overly romantic with her, but he's got a girlfriend ("she") who doesn't know, "can't see" that he's cheating.

"And I try to refrain, but you're stuck in my brain /
And all I do is cry and complain /
Because seconds aren't the same"

Unhappy about being a mere side-piece, the guy she wants has a girlfriend he won't let of and top priority in his life. Just thinking about him and occasionally arguing with him brings these dark emotions to the forefront.

She's unhappy about being a mere side-piece, a second choice, because the guy she's with has a girlfriend, who is his major priority.

"I'm sorry, but I fell in love tonight /
I didn't mean to fall in love tonight /

You're lookin' like you fell in love tonight /
Can we pretend that we're in love?"

This last stanza envelops the idea of them just being a fling – something temporary as represented by the repetition of "tonight." However, even though the narrator is a , she became caught up in the exclusion, devoid of making the promise to herself that she wouldn't fall in love.

Although she's accepted her feelings for him, she comprehends him only participating in it for the lust and physicality and is still willing to pretend they're together. She promised herself she wouldn't fall in love with him, and this is the part where she accepts that she has, and if he doesn't love her can they play and pretend?

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what was your first impression of Halsey?

I thought her style was cool and she was particular, but also a little of an attention seeker, which she isn't at all, but was the feeling I had the first times I saw her on the internet.