Learn English – “I’ll carve into your ribs and leave you crying for a kiss” (Tessa Violet – Haze) – literal or metaphoric

idiom-requestidiomsmeaning-in-contextphrase-meaningphrase-usage

Haze by Tessa Violet is a deep pop-folk piece that combines the struggle of someone who tries to honestly share their internal desires in a shallow society and the struggle to actually fully percieve the world with your all senses.

It starts with a quick retrospection on the apparently full life she lead before

I used to be

Overwhelmed by every little thing

Torn apart, unraveled at the seams

I think it rooted in the way I breathe

and continues describing the depressing circle of hedonism she fell into after that

And I get drunk

On a boy who asks me if I'm up

Tells me he can't understand his luck

To know me

To love me

To hold me

Show up

and the mask of a perfect woman she can afford to wear with her popularity

I'll be your empathetic savior

Call me up, I'll meet you later

You canpraise me for the way I always know just what to say

I'll carve into your ribs and leave you crying for a kiss

Just for kicks

Now, is she actually saying she would carve into your ribs (like a wood) or is there an idiom "carve in" I would imagine to mean something like "to dive in and root there"?

We have this idiom in Czech but I wasn't able to find it in any dictionary. Is there an idiom with this meaning? Thank you!

Best Answer

It certainly is not a common phrase. Physically, ribs are the protection for the heart. "Carve into your ribs" could mean forcefully accessing the heart.

However, the context is about feelings. So I would understand it as a metaphor for, "I'll make you fall in love with me", which would make sense, given the following phrase: "and leave you crying for a kiss".