Every once in a while, you come across an artist that makes you stop in your tracks and think. Florence Welch from Florence + the Machine is that exact artist. I cannot articulate how grateful I am to have happened upon her music, but simply stated, it’s transformative. She preaches about being at peace both with oneself and with nature. The echo of her voice, the clarity of the piano, the entire orchestrated sound color. The revelations and regrets, freedom and fantasy. Living, breathing poetry. It has all the stuff that needs to be more recognized in today’s society.

But it’s not, and although I could very easily turn this into a rant against mainstream music in today’s age, I’ll refrain because we are all entitled to our own preferences. But Florence and her way with words deserve an article in honor, at the very least.

The way I view it, her songs take the awestruck listener on a journey, like most songs do. Except this journey transcends galaxies, through hopes and dreams and pasts and futures. And these lyrics are the perfect examples of that journey.

1. The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart

...

I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back

- “Cosmic Love”

So you’re in love, and it’s something so astronomical and huge for you that when it ends, you’re torn. Absolutely crushed, like a billion galaxies within you have been obliterated. And there’s no light left. But within yourself, you find the strength to start over again. It’s like you find yourself in love with independence and the galaxies themselves rather than anything in the Earthly realm. This song perfectly illustrates how ethereal Florence is, though. With flowers in her fiery hair and iridescent, sparkling, flowing clothes, she truly is a vision, and that is part of her artistry.

2. And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

…

'Cause I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn

-“Shake it Out”

Beauty. Power. Ugh. I don’t know if anyone could listen to these lyrics and resist the urge to scream them. With the backdrop of an intense beat, she perfectly manages to capture the bravery that is necessary to break free of any chains of regret and stress from the past and create a new version of ourselves. It’s always darkest before the dawn. The worst will soon be over.

3. And I never wanted anything from you

Except everything you ad and what was left after that too, oh

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back

Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

Can you hear the horses?

‘cause here they come

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father

Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers

Leave all your love and your longing behind

You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

-“Dog Days Are Over”

Can we just take a moment to acknowledge that simile about happiness? When you finally get to a good place in your life, you can’t help but celebrate and rejoice, and this song does exactly that. But the lyric that resonates with me the most, “Leave all your love and your longing behind / you can’t carry it with you if you want to survive,” captures the idea that to truly live and thrive, you must free yourself of anything that torments your mind and just focus on you.

4. Like the stars chase the sun

Over the glowing hill, I will conquer

Blood is running deep

Some things never sleep

Suddenly I'm overcome

Dissolving like the setting sun

Like a boat into oblivion

Cause you're driving me away

Now you have me on the run

The damage is already done

Come on, is this what you want?

Cause you're driving me away

-“Queen of Peace & Long and Lost”

What I love about this song is how Florence incorporated it into a series with five other songs and called it “The Odyssey” to literally craft a story or mini-movie through her music. “Like the stars chase the sun / Over the glowing hill, I will conquer.” Few times have I heard lyrics so profound. Again, the theme of the cosmos appears, hinting at the possibility of us being much more than merely human, as if through courage and resilience we can gain awareness that we have entire galaxies within us.

5. Now there's green light in my eyes
And my lover on my mind
And I sing from the piano
Tear my yellow dress and
Cry and cry and cry
Over the love of you

On this champagne-drunken home
Against the current of gold
Everybody, see I love him
'Cause it's the feeling that you get
When the afternoon is set
On the bridge into the city

-“Over the Love”

This song was written for the 2013 film version of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio (swoon), and that’s clearly reflected by the mention of “green light.” And as we all remember from the novel, that green light in her eyes is symbolic of a sense of ambition and hope for the future, even if it is inevitably unattainable. But Florence beautifully articulates this tragedy of lost love with words that shimmer and sound not like money but magic.

Self-empowerment rings true all of her songs, and I really do think that’s something that music often lacks. To be able to possess the talent to make people feel an otherworldly connection with music is a very rare and beautiful thing, but I doubt that anyone else will be taking her throne anytime soon. She sings about overcoming flaws in the purest way, having the courage to completely start anew.

She realizes the power of her words, and that’s refreshing.