Lyrics
Verse 1
Lights out, can't find the key to my house now
Locked out, cold world sweat on my eyebrow
Why now, why me, why we
Always find a way to stir up my inner peace like wow
Used to be ground under my feet but now
Just trying to get my baby to eat somehow
All of these days turning into weeks
I see my life change every time that I blink but
Chorus
Something 'bout the way you take the weight off of my heart
Put me back together when the world tears me apart
Then I remember you got me in the middle of your hands
And I know, oh and I know you're in control
Verse 2
Some feels like a weapon
Exhale take a breath in
Bent out of the wrestling
But you're the one I'm resting
Like wow, you put the ground under my feet like wow
You bring the power when I'm weak, so how
Do I forget you won't repeat
I'm seeing miracles every time that I blink, yeah
Chorus
Something 'bout the way you take the weight off of my heart
Put me back together when the world tears me apart
Then I remember you got me in the middle of your hands
And I know, oh and I know you're in control
Bridge
So I throw my cares out the window
Take my hands off of the wheel
'Cause I already know that you got it handled
All I gotta be is still
Chorus (x2)
Something 'bout the way you take the weight off of my heart
Put me back together when the world tears me apart
Then I remember you got me in the middle of your hands
And I know, oh and I know you're in control
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Control” by Tori Kelly begins with a picture of being locked out and overwhelmed. The singer is dealing with days that turn into weeks, the strain of getting a baby to eat, and the sense that life can change in a blink. Against that, the chorus names what God does: “you take the weight off of my heart” and “put me back together when the world tears me apart.”
The refrain lands on trust: “I know you’re in control.” The second verse adds that the singer sees miracles in the same blink that once brought trouble, and the bridge chooses surrender with the lines “take my hands off of the wheel” and “all I gotta be is still.”
The ideas are close to Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God,” 1 Peter 5:7 on casting cares on Him, and Psalm 147:3, which speaks of healing the brokenhearted. The song is a candid prayer of letting go, set in the pressure of daily life and resting in God’s hands.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God
- 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all cares on Him
- Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted