BADLANDS [halsey] // Lyric Analysis

7. Coming Down

This track draws many parallels to  which appears right next to this song in the standard version of the album, where Halsey also mentions particular characteristics about her lover, especially regarding the use of drugs and the topic of religion.

VERSE 1:

"I found God /
I found him in a lover /
When his hair falls in his face /
And his hands so cold they shake"

Through the simplicity of describing a physical attraction, Halsey hits on the characteristics of a God through philosophies and myths, having long and messy hair. Also the coldness of his hands and absence of running blood could remind his immortality as God but his shade of humanity by their shake, symbolizing his capacity of feeling.

"I found the Devil /
I found him in a lover /
And his lips like tangerines /
And his color coded speak"

'Tangerines' are citrus fruit that resemble oranges, but are smaller, like mandarins and tangelos. They are juicy and very sweet. In conclusion, he has nice lips which complement the charm in his smooth talk and of the tenderness of his words, and lets his dark side out.

"I found the Devil" contrasts with the first line, "I found God," thinking of him as both. He's handsome and powerful, worshiped by many women like a God. But he has a darker, more lustful side, suggesting he's just as sinful as the Devil, that's foundable just around the corner.
Whether she's talking about herself or her lovers, Halsey often carries the topic about dualism and the duplicity in someone's behaviour and mind. Just like a normal person, this 'God' finds to have two inner sides.

Halsey often uses  to describe the different elements or emotions people have, and now is doing it with religious aspects.

PRE-CHORUS:

"Now we're lost somewhere in outer space /
In a hotel room where demons play /
They run around beneath our feet /
We roll around beneath these sheets"

From an interview with All Things Go: "I've lived my life in hotel rooms the past year. I've formed romantic relationships and business relationships and friendships out of hotel rooms. What's weird about them is it's like a stage setting, a fake place. It's not a real environment."

are prominent in Halsey's songs, showcasing different situations emerging and falling between the four walls of this setting, that end up being "outer space" since they 'aren't real environments' and once she's there the feeling she gets it's of lostness even if she's in company.

Their  are those things that reside within them – the  of them that they may or may not share during their intimate moments, yet disconnected encounters in these rooms. She also mentions  in Hold Me Down, actually the song feel to be more about them than anything else.

Also, note how two settings are mentioned in these lines: Outer space resides within their hotel room, meaning they're probably under the influence of drugs – not uncommon in several of her lyrics. This would also explain the concept of 'coming down', which is a phrase used to describe the loss of the buzz one previously gained from using drugs.

It could also mean that they are lost inside their heads (confused and not knowing who she is, what is wrong and what is right) and their demons (their darkest sides of them) are playing tricks on them and leading them down wrong, sinful paths, i.e. "We roll around beneath these sheets."

It's an especially prominent topic in her songs, with regards to a religious basis whether it's derived from a relationship (like the one developed in "Colors": "I know I've only felt religion when I've lied with you" vs. "I've got a lover, a love like religion.") or the two different people she encountered that called themselves as a "Young God".