NIKI’s song “Heirloom Pain,” released on August 9, 2024, explores themes of inherited emotional burdens and the struggles individuals face due to family dynamics.
The lyrics reflect on personal experiences and the cyclical nature of human flaws, emphasizing feelings of vulnerability and resilience.
Heirloom Pain NIKI Lyrics
Build a pillow barricade so the ghosts can’t get to me
Twenty-somethin’ instincts, feel like a deadbeat dad
Never there when it counts and puts you right in therapy
Life is a gamble, baby, and you’ll have to live with that
Oh, but I’ll be fine ’cause I always end up
Just fine then I’ll call a friend up
That’s just how it is
And I’ll wake up tired and vaguely sore
Stir a pot when I’m feelin’ bored
Full-sending a lot, only halfway sure
Walkin’ around with heirloom pain
Dad’s temper and Mom’s mistakes
I’m always afraid to fall flat on my face
But doin’ it anyway
Doin’ it anyway
Walls up to the skies, many men have marched around
To no avail, there’s Achilles and there’s his God-forsaken heel
I do the dishes and tend the garden
Soften up where I used to harden
And take a moonlit walk
And I’ll wake up tired and vaguely sore
Stir a pot when I’m feelin’ bored
Full-sending a lot, only half is sure, oh
Walkin’ around with heirloom pain
Grandma left but her heartache stayed
Now I’m always afraid to take up space
Yet doin’ it anyway
Doin’ it anyway, oh
People fall in love and fuck up
And have kids who fall in love and fuck up
Who have kids that fall in love
And have you
People fall in love and fuck up
We all fall in love and fuck up
You will fall in love and fuck up too
