Honesty is a brutal trade, and on What’s Got You Down, Alex Crossland delves into personal territory.
The song unfolds like a candid therapy session, dissecting the remnants of a failed relationship.
Alex Crossland’s lyrics are stark and unadorned, painting a vivid picture of his ex-partner’s self-destructive spiral into the excesses of Hollywood.
The bitterness is palpable as he delivers lines like, “She moved to Hollywood, she said she’s up to no good, and I believe her,” with the country-inflected guitar reflecting the shattered dreams and disenchantment.
Yet, Crossland doesn’t solely cast blame outward. The narrative peels back layers of self-examination, revealing admissions such as, “I took her maiden name; she took a second just to see if she would stay/dancing on our graves.”
The songwriting collaboration with Cassie Chilton enhances the track, capturing the poignant pain of witnessing a loved one’s slow self-destruction.
Alex Crossland’s vocal delivery fluctuates between tender vulnerability and defiant confrontation.
As the chorus enters, with backing vocals, it intensifies the raw frustration.
You can almost see his distress as he implores, “Are you coming home to be with me or figure out if you could be alone?”
Ultimately, What’s Got You Down offers an unflinching emotional release set to an infectious tune—a bold dive into the grim realities of life without pretence or regret.
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Alex Crossland x Cass & Crossland What’s Got You Down? Lyrics
She moved to Hollywood, she said she’s up to no good, and I believe her
And now I’m calling behind, it’s just a waste of my time to try to be her
Trips around the sun always coming while the youth gets wasted by the young
Done before I tried
Oh my hands are tied
I spent a long time running from your troubled side
Tell me lately what’s got you down
Are you coming home without a few drunk bottles and a microphone to scream it out
So this is how it ends a group of fucked up friends just trying to make it
A dirty living room and sleeping in till noon, out on the weekends
I took her maiden name she took a second just to see if she would stay
Dancing on our graves
But oh my hands are tied
I should’ve just kept running when you went to hide
If I call will you turn around
Are you coming home to be with me or figure out if you could be alone, oh tell me now
You run, you run, darling where do you run from me when you run, you run?
You run, you run, darling where do you run from me when you run, you run?
You run, you run, darling where do you run from me when you run, you run?
You run, you run, darling where do you run from me when you run, you run?
You run, you run, darling where do you run from me when you run, you run?
You run, you run, darling where do you run from me when you run, you run?
Without a new direction, we do the same deflections
And when they ask am I nothing but a missed connection
But oh my hands are tied, I spent a long time running from your troubled side
Tell me lately what’s got you down?