I was really surprised when I first heard this song. The writer's managed to capture the stress and the calm in both the lyrics and the music. It's beautiful.
I'm autistic and have had my share of child abuse. Matilda was actually my favorite movie growing up because I felt that Matilda's life was very similar to mine. I can't listen to about half of the songs in this musical without crying either out of joy or painful memories.. but the music is really good, and very inspiring. I wish I could turn the waterworks off so I could watch the actual musical.
I'm sorry to hear that. I think I can imagine what you mean. On a side note, I was looking for a comment that brought up this angle. Matilda's sensory / information overload sounded a lot like autism. You don't get that many instances of this perspective in media.
Everyone's saying how this song makes them cry. But it doesn't make me cry. It actually makes me smile. The beginning is stressful, but once it gets to the description of quietness, along with the beautiful melody, it makes me very happy. Silence can be so beautiful, and this describes it stunningly. Like many other commenters, I'm autistic with anxiety, and so many people don't understand my need for silence. It means way more than just getting out of a noisy place to calm down. What is also means is that silence is really, really beautiful.
I'm autistic, and I can't adequately describe just how much this song means to me. All the sounds of the world get so overwhelming, because I can't shut any of it out, so I end up listening to 3 different conversations at once, as well as the fan, someone texting, the silent hum of the lights, and my own thoughts that are going 10k miles a minute. I feel so calm and so safe when I put on my noise-cancelling headphones, just like what this song describes. It's like being covered in a warm blanket and being allowed to stop existing in the current moment and go somewhere where none of it can reach me.
I got a callback for the part of Matilda a few months back, and I had to sing this song. I remember being so nervous to go in that audition room. But when I sang it for the directors, I felt like I went into a whole different world. I can't explain it. I felt almost safe, and happy, and free honestly. I put my whole heart and soul into that audition and I started crying throughout it. The directors told me it was the best audition that they've ever seen. I remember the car ride on the way back from that audition at like 9:00 at night. I stared out the window, thinking about what they had said over and over again in my mind. I've wanted to play Matilda since I was 7 years old. I thought I was going to get the part. But of course, that's not how it went. I found out a week later I didn't get it. Apparently the mom of the girl who got Matilda pulled some strings so she would be cast as her. I was devastated and cried for a while. I didn't listen to this song for a bit after that, but today I came back to it, and that memory of the callback flooded back to my mind. This is such a beautiful song, and it's one that's really close to my heart.
yep, I’ve had interesting experiences with Matilda, mainly being that when I was 9 I was too tall for the role. It was heartbreaking since I’d practiced and perfected my Matilda voice and had been told by many that I sounded very similar, which made me be almost certain I’d get it
@@Kesthechicken Honestly the theatre world is so harsh and cruel Matilda is my favourite musical I know all the lyrics to all the songs and have dreamt about going on it since I was about 11 but it’s hard to think that it’s completely impossible because I have always been really tall for my age so there’s physically no way I could ever get the part
This song is making me cry because it seems the older I get the more my parents expect from me and to make me reach their expectations I have to sacrifice all that I want to do. I have no time for my dreams, I just clean, study, and work relentlessly. It seems that my room gets smaller and smaller every day and I lose myself in a world of questions and all of a sudden everything goes quiet
unrealistic When you say it like that... I just randomly thought of death cause you said you work and do everything they want of you, and suddenly you die from all the stress and stuff... Sorry very depressing and random but I just thought of that. Have a nice day :)
how are you now? I hope your okay. remember that your parents want what's good for you, but they're human, they too can make mistakes. so you have to tell them what you feel to make them they realize. don't make the precious time you spend with your family be a sad memory
Everytime I sing this with my singing teacher I end up shedding a tear. And when its sang like this im sobbing. its such a deep meaningful song i love it!
I have asd and social anxiety, and honestly this song so perfectly describes what it's like to have a sensory overload or an anxiety attack. Normally, I'm not that big a fan of Tim Minchin's music, but I absolutely adore this song, I can't get enough of it!
I know a lot of people on here have already said something like this but I want to share my experience too: Since I was very young, I would worry about many, many different things. It was constant torture for me. Even if I was feeling confident about something, the “what-if” questions never left me alone. I was confused and scared all the time, and whenever my family and I did something together, I would always imagine the worst case scenario. When I was older, I was diagnosed with major depression; the psychologists that tested me said that I also showed signs of severe anxiety and ADHD. I became more prone to panic attacks and depressive episodes. This song almost perfectly describes the anxiety attacks I get, even the shutdown after. Stress and complete chaos until my body can’t take it anymore. My brain recognizes the large amounts of distress and panic that the anxiety is causing in that moment. It basically shuts itself down and everything goes quiet. Sometimes, it gets so awful that I find the shutdown afterwards to be somewhat relaxing and more calm compared to whatever triggered the attack in the first place. Sorry for wasting your time, I just felt like this was necessary to share. I hope whoever is reading this has an awesome day 😊
s u n n y シ by replying to the comment you oh-so cleverly didn't read you're taking up more of your "valuable" time. so next time if you see a long comment don't immediately reply that it was too long. i recommend something that a much more intelligent person would do: *scroll past it like everyone else.*
This is a beautiful song. I like to sing it when I'm felling extremely stressed, upset, overwhelmed, or angry. I don't have any mental issues, no ADD/ADHD, aspergers, autism, etc. but there's something about it that makes me feel like I can relate or understand. So much that it makes me cry almost every time I hear it. I'm pretty sure everyone has a moment like this before.
I love this song because it's basically my brain. All the time. First time I've ever found a song that accurately describes what it's like to be intelligent, creative, and have severe ADD.
I personally think this is a beautiful reminder that even when she's being positive and optimistic and hopeful, she's been through years of abuse, and injustice. I feel so bad for that wonderful little girl 💙
I love this song so much because, even though a lot of people in the comments feel it describes anxiety, I feel like it describes ADHD which is something I have been bullied for and still suffer with. For example when she sing "And the heat and the shouting, and my heart is pounding, and my eyes are burning, and suddenly everything, everything is.... Quiet...." Describes when I 'loose focus' and I can't concentrate and suddenly I won't hear anyone and I'll just see there lips moving
This is the best way of explaining Autism. I relate to this so much. knowing that you're different to you friends, and asking these questions that some teachers hate because you're challenging them.
i love this song sm because it perfectly describes the feeling of sensory overload and then escaping into a quiet room. Her metaphors are really accurate as well, because they are what it feels like to finally be able to breathe after everything being loud.
I love this song! I feel like I relate to it, but I don't have like Autism or anxiety...But I love Book's, I have a very creative mind but my friends and family don't really understand, and there are things that I think of or feel but I don't know how to say them out loud. And I don't usually like quiet but as I get older I love the Quietness of storms and rain! And I'm doing this song for My audition! Its tomorrow can't wait!
That's practically exactly the same as me. I'll try to say something, but then people won't understand it at all. I also LOVE reading. Reading is practically my life. I'm homeschooled so I get the privilege to read books and finish them more than others.
+Angel Ahito It's like you're in a state of calm, unaware of anything else, like a daydream. You're awake, but kind of floating. "a half-conscious state characterized by an absence of response to external stimuli, typically as induced by hypnosis or entered by a medium."
This song is so relatable. I think we've all had moments where the pressure gets to be too much, and we break down. Whenever I'm really stressed, I take a break, and just listen.
This song is me, I'm not autistic or anything but I do go through things like this I suddenly start thinking wierd questions - everything gets louder and louder, it gets so hot, I can't even speak ... Then everything goes quiet ... I zone out from everything around me, I can't hear the people who talk to me, I can't even see them; just a constant darkness. I wonder if the green I see would be the same colour as urs? If science is real? If the world is real? Is everything just like a dream, mabey I'm in a coma asleep...
+Katie Schulte Maybe so, but people can interpret the lyrics however they please, and if this song helps them relate to something and to feel like they aren't alone, then I don't see how that could be a bad thing. (not trying to be rude or to start a fight by the way).
I wonder if i was seeing out of someone elses vision If i made a different decision what would of happened What is death If the world was not real would we know about it How was earth made If i looked different would i get treated differently Is there aliens Who am i?
This song is so cleverly written and the way she sings it is so humble and the words she uses to describe something aren't difficult but the ideas she has are incredible. I love the musical just as much as the book because the musical really brings out the fact of how Matilda is so humble yet clever.
When I go through panic attacks I come too this song, not any breathing videos or anything. This video always helps me and makes me feel safe and calmer
I love this song so much because I'm able to relate to the lyrics due to my anxiety- that's what makes Tim Minchin such a genius his lyrics are relatable in so many different ways and are interpreted differently by everyone
Harri Herniman Same, I have OCD too and nobody really understands. They think that OCD is just "Ohhh, I need EVERYTHING to be perfecttt." That's not what it is. It's hard to explain what it really is but I know that I hate it and it makes life so much harder.
I haven’t gotten officially diagnosed but a lot of the psychologists I talk with say that I show a lot of symptoms for OCD. I may be getting tested soon and I think it would make a lot of sense if I actually do have it. I’m not entirely sure though...
@@starlightsystem4065 I have OCD and I'm gunna be honest with you, it might be hard I've had it for 6 years now but never give up you are strong.. You can do this! 🖤
A lot of people talk about the element of sensory overload in this song, but the part that always gets _my_ autistic ass is "There's no way of knowing if red means the same thing in your head as red means in my head when someone says red." It's the constant vigilance of knowing your sense of the world is alien to everyone else, but still being forced to guess some arbitrary "right" answer and follow it unquestioning. I have to constantly predict and adjust to a reality that isn't my own.
I suffer from light depression and this just described me so much. I love this song. Today in class, I sit next to this really loud boy and he was just pushing me over the edge. I just wanted to curl up and cry and the teacher was shouting and everything was loud and I just felt like I could hear them, but I wasn't listening. It was quiet. Lovely ,just to ignore the world. And what's going on around you just for a moment or two and just smile knowing everything was going to be OK and that my friends will wait for me outside and comfort me. This song made me want to cry ( but I didn't. I'm not really that kind of person) I can relate so much to it and I love it.
this song is so powerful. it has such a deep hidden and meaning and its sung so beautifully. its such a gorgeous peace of music and i cant stop listening to it.
I completely agree with everything, i'm a bit of reading addict to, and it seems like when I read a book everything just goes quiet, sometimes my friends have too shout my name several times to get me to hear them. My friends all like books too, but none of them as much as me and I feel, quite like Matilda that I can't quite explain it right but it seems like I'm different to all my friends.
I'm the same but my problem is that if I'm not reading.... I'm not me. I become whatever character I was just reading. This prevents me from being shy, but also from me being me. I love this song b/c it shows how I feel during a panic attack and just life. Wish I could sing it :/
As a person with several different mental disorder I can say with all honesty that this perfectly captures how all of them are. They each have their unique characteristics but the feeling of the storm and then the calm that follows is perfectly captured in this song.
I can't explain the profound effect this song has on me. The quick-paced, frantic singing in the first half feels so accurate and the second half is like a soothing balm for my mind. Its like the song is saying to me, "I know exactly how you feel. I'm going to describe it to you perfectly, up until the point where it boils over, and then I'm going to lull you back down from the emotional crescendo." Catharsis.
I'm actually crying right now. I've listened to this song before but it really struck a chord with where I am right now. I recently was diagnosed with autism and I finally realised how I ridiculously relate to this song to an unbelievable degree. I'm 15 and I've always been a very intelligent child, I was thinking about these sorts of things in the song at like, 10. I would actually only talk about science and space and dinosaurs and I thought I was crazy because that's all I knew, as conversations worried me unless I was an expert on the topic. Until I read Matilda when I was around 11, here was a child who was a hero without having to sacrifice her intelligence and wasn't socially developed and that gave me so much hope. I don't know if Matilda is supposed to be autistic but I don't care. This story, in all its variations, has given me so much. I just had to share this, I'm gonna go stop crying now
This is so relatable, I'm 18 and only figured out a few months ago that I'm (most likely) autistic, I had wondered why I sang this song on repeat when I was 10 and why it felt like, for the first time, someone understood me
I'm watching this musical for the first time since I was 8, having been diagnosed with adhd and autism now, and I am very quickly realizing why this was my favorite musical when I was little.
I guess I can relate to the song in another context, like sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream and I'm watching my body do everything without me actually being there. And the real me is in a place where everything is quiet and calm. I don't know
I posted this comment 3 months ago. Since then, I've had a lot of therapy, which only made me understand this song deeper (and make myself worse.) It applies to the concept of "mindfulness" that Matilda uses to take control of the situation. Her brain is constantly absorbing and learning information that overwhelms her. This song is key to her development as a character.
@@pariswhitehead5900 Do you want to know the Savior? He is called Jesus Christ and we are to put all our hope and confidence in He Who Sees Us and Never Fails [to Love]. I posted this because I want to pull you out of feeling depressed, and Jesus is the best way I have ever read.
I have the same disorder. And by the way, it's spelled Asperger's. I like going to Broadway but I can't really go anymore because I mainly go to see the ushers and record the show, and my sensitivity has been getting very bad.
Sarah Lomax I have adhd and a form of autism, and there are so many thoughts in my head and ugh i talk so much too, but it's still hard to explain things and sometimes it just has to be quiet..
is this song about autism? i have asbergers too and i love adrianna who sings this thats why i love the song and its really good but i never taught aout it like that x
charly kelly The little girl who is singing it, she lives in a home where her parents only want her to watch television and that they are ungrateful for her. She tries to get out of this lifestyle, so she reads books, does math, and tries to find out all she can. But since she's experienced so much at school, at home, even when she's reading, she can't get out of what goes on in her head, so she then tries to calm herself down with this song.
I'm here for the line "these stories delivered to me fully written" and that's it tbh. My sister likes this song and sings it and that line always grabs my attention so, tada here I am. I like that line in particular because that's how it is for me too. A lot of the time, i really don't have to think through a process or problem solve, if I think about....let's say how wind flows in my yard, I don't need to go through and figure out "oh well if we're getting leaves from that tree, and those leaves only come from that tree and end up over here so what path do they take to get here given the other information I've gathered" like, usually I don't do that. It's almost like...seeing all the answers at once? I'm not quite explaining this right but idk. It's just like I see all this information and I just, -understand.- I don't have much of a process for anything. I'm a writer, I don't have a process for how I put together these characters or scenes, I just write what I know about these characters that just appeared. I'm an artist, I don't plan out where the people stand, how they stand there, what they say or what their environment is like, I just draw what I see. Does anyone understand this?
I understand completely, I am a writer as well. I don’t always plan the story or song out, I just write and in 5-10 minutes, boom, a full song. Or in 30-60 minutes, boom, an entire plot and character profiles for a movie or book. And I agree, it’s hard to explain it right.
Yep. People say it can take hours to come up with a story but when I want to write one, it kind of pops into my head already written. The whole thing and it feels so strange to be asked how long it took for me to come up with it because it just popped into my head and I started writing
@@Aelishaela I once wrote a full story thing from conception to completion in a 2 hour and 20 minute movie cause I don't like comedies lol. It was epic, still love that story.
For me I can relate to the bit about the mum and the dad and the telly - because my parents are constantly watching the news at present and the news of the world (involving Covid, Russia etc) make me extremely agitated despite having had Covid and not living in Ukraine.
This is the song that describes every anxiety in the world, causes non anxiety ridden people to really think, and is the anthem that we use to relate to each other. For Into The Woods and Matilda fans, know “SOMEONE IS ON YOUR SIDE, YOU ARE NOT ALONE”. Put the lyrics of that song and this one together, and you have a powerful song mashup for everyone with anxiety.
I relate really well to the beginning and the my hearts pounding, eyes burning bit but I never seem to get the quiet. Just the rage keeps building then fades later. I would prefer quiet because then I don't have to listen about what's being said.
It’s honestly so nice to hear a song describing this. It’s impossible to explain and it captures that perfectly. How insane it feels to have everything explode through your brain and then nothing and... I never expected this song to capture that. At all. So, just such a good job to the writers of this! Such a good job!
I'm singing this song for choir on my own, and it's an amazing thing that in a situation where I'd usually be nervous to the point I can't breath this song helps. I love Matilda because no matter what mental disorder you have you can connect to her so easily, and it's comforting.
I know everyone is saying this but this song it so good and relatable. I don’t have any diagnosed mental disorders but I am non binary (an term under the transgender umbrella) and this song reminds me of when the teacher called me by my preferred name and how my class was surprised and started asking questions. That part was fine but this kid started arguing that he should still be able to call me Lily and by she/her pronouns because we are still the same person so it didn’t really change and how my friends were arguing/yelling at him that he should respect me and how I identify as while he was screaming his opinion and how everyone else in the class was looking at the verbal fight or giving me are you ok looks and in that moment, how I felt was exactly what the song was describing till I put in my earbuds and started blasting music to distract myself from him. (Btw this guy has a reputation of saying m/doing really offensive stuff, I am just one of many victims)
This describes me so much! When my parents are shouting, there are moments when everything stops! Thank God for these cherished moments when everything is quiet...
Have you ever wondered, well I have. About how when I say, say red, for example. There's no way of knowing if red Means the same thing in your head As red means in my head. When someone says red And how if we are traveling at, almost the speed of light And we're holding a light That light would still travel away from us At the full speed of light, which seems right in a way But what I'm trying to say, I'm not sure But I wonder if inside my head I'm not just a bit different from some of my friends These answers come into my mind unbidden These stories delivered to me fully written! And when everyone shouts like they seem to like shouting The noise in my head is incredibly loud! And I just wish they'd stop, my Dad and my Mum. And the telly and stories would stop for just once! And I'm sorry, I'm not quite explaining it right. But this noise becomes anger and the anger is light And its burning inside me would usually fade. But it isn't today! And the heat and the shouting. And my heart is pounding. And my eyes are burning And suddenly everything, everything is... Quiet Like silence, but not really silent. Just that still sort of quiet. Like the sound of a page being turned in a book. Or a pause in a walk in the woods. Quiet Like silence, but not really silent. Just that nice kind of quiet. Like the sound when you lie upside down in your bed. Just the sound of your heart in your head. And though the people around me. Their mouths are still moving. The words they are forming, Cannot reach me anymore! And it is quiet And I am warm Like I’ve sailed into the eye of the storm...
I can relate so much to this song. I don't have Autism, anxiety, Asberger's, or anything like that. But I'm intelligent and ,when the kids at school are bullying me, or my parents are fighting, and it's so loud, this happens. Everything just becomes quiet, and while everyone's still shouting or hitting me, I feel and hear nothing, except this song. It's weird, but it takes my mind off of what is happening.
thewanderingdoodler Me too! That's me exactly. Except for the fact that I have Sensory Processing Disorder, which causes me to be more sensitive and high-strung and to get upset easier than other kids my age. I often have meltdowns, but I talk to my family about it, and then I just grab a book and I just read to my heart's content! That's my cure for a nervous breakdown.
I loved loved loved this song way way before It hit me I could have ADHD after I've learned of other ADHD types. This song will always be one of my comfort zone, it's painful yet healing. The first parts hurts but by the end, it's just so serene. Like you were drowning and then slowly sunks down to the ocean's floor. Nothing to hold on to but the water hugging your whole form... comfortably. You can either stay there or rise up once again, either can do.
Kier Simpson ugh I have never been bullied for being lgbt (yet) but those dumb ass bullies just don’t understand that you are human and you have different beliefs and you are you and you should be proud (not saying your not) I am here with you in the lgbt community 🏳️🌈 🏳️🌈
Adam Quirke- you do realize (well you should at least ) like Laurlie Juice said there is more that just lgbt it’s called LGBTQ+ for a reason ,Kier Simpson only said LGBt for short which is its more common name . I am part of it because I’m Bisexual here lemme show you whether you care or not: L=Lesbian--Homosexual (unless there another name that’s what I refer to it as) G=Gay--Homosexual B=Bisexual T=Transgender Q=(I think means,) Questioning 2 Others I know A=Asexual P=Pansexual Also the proper term for being Straight is Heterosexual Being completely honest I don’t know any more if anyone else knows tell me please 😂
I feel like Matilda when I hear this song .Also I think that the the meaning behind the song has a good meaning .the song makes me cry 😭 and smile 😃 for some reason!!!,!,!
Love this song... I have severe ADHD and I feel like it captures what it is like to have an "episode"from being overwhelmed... it captures the bad and good moments all in one song. It is beautiful and relatable for me.
Whoever composed and written the spng are absolutely brilliant!! The performer of this somg is remarkable as well!! Promise I'm not crying or anything like that!!
