"Worn out leather"?

[Katie14 4,828]

On the surface Million Reasons seems like its about love and I think Gaga did this on purpose for the song to be relatable. Im sure the song is partially about Taylor and "all the men in [her] life" but I think its mostly about her wanting to give up on the music industry (and maybe even her life). I never really understood what the worn out leather lyric meant. In the context of love with a man, I guessed it was about cutting through his skin to get to know and understand her man better. Basically cutting through the protective shell of a rugged man in order to connect to him better. 

But, in the context of her career, the lyric can also be heard as, "cut through all this (instead of his) worn out leather". I think she is talking about her own worn out skin. She is cutting through her protective scar tissue to get to her own truth, and her own self behind the protection and facade. The hundred million reasons to walk away are the abuse from her former management, rape, stress, superficiality of fame, and all the negative emotions and experiences she had a few years ago. The good reasons to stay are her true passion for her art, religion/spirituality, inspiration from her aunt, the connection and love she has from her family and friends. These people and feelings are at the core of her but she just has to cut through this protective barrier (worn out leather) that she created to survive all the trauma in order to remember what made her happy. 

What do you think the worn out leather line means?

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

I used to just cast it off as a vague/catch-all representation of whatever it is that's keeping her from healing (i.e., a tight belt or costume) but

1 minute ago, Katie14 said:

I think she is talking about her own worn out skin. She is cutting through her protective scar tissue to get to her own truth, and her own self behind the protection and facade. The hundred million reasons to walk away are the abuse from her former management, the stress, the superficiality, and all the negative emotions and experiences she had a few years ago.

gives it real depth

[Eighteen 5,428]

what does the dry way line mean? 

[Supersonic 49,376]

Just now, 18 said:

what does the dry way line mean? 

I think it's a reference to alcohol addiction. Alcoholics who don't drink anymore are referred to as "dry", so maybe it's a reference to trying to find a way to deal with all the pain without having to use drugs as an escape.

[Katie14 4,828]

3 minutes ago, 18 said:

what does the dry way line mean? 

 If she could figure out a way to live her life sober it would mean she is happy enough to not want to run anymore. Maybe?

[hELXIG 42,732]

Omg I was thinking about this line yesterday in depth too! It came all of a sudden when watching the MR video.

I suddenly had the thought "is this line about her moving on from her earlier rebellious days? "

She used to always go on about wearing her leather to feel alright, wearing her leather to feel strong and powerful, wearing her leather as a rebellious statement, etc during the BTW era.

"Lord show me the way to cut through all this worn out leather" all of a sudden sounded to me like "Lord show me how I can strip myself back and feel okay without all of  my embellishments without disappointing too many people"

But it could mean a lot of things really!

[REALITY 75,772]

I believe that the song's definitely about her career. She said in this interview that MR was about not giving up and persevering, which can definitely translate to her career. 

But yeah, it also has a double meaning with the fact that it can be perceived as a love song. 

[hELXIG 42,732]

6 minutes ago, Supersonic said:

I think it's a reference to alcohol addiction. Alcoholics who don't drink anymore are referred to as "dry", so maybe it's a reference to trying to find a way to deal with all the pain without having to use drugs as an escape.

That makes so much sense, I can't believe I didn't pick up on it myself!

Like her anxiety is telling her "it's the highway (running away from her problems) or the dry-way (getting sober and facing them all)"

[Yuuri 21,636]

Bondage?

[REALITY 75,772]

1 minute ago, Helxig said:

Omg I was thinking about this line yesterday in depth too! It came all of a sudden when watching the MR video.

I suddenly had the thought "is this line about her moving on from her earlier rebellious days? "

She used to always go on about wearing her leather to feel alright, wearing her leather to feel strong and powerful, wearing her leather as a rebellious statement, etc during the BTW era.

"Lord show me the way to cut through all this worn out leather" all of a sudden sounded to me like "Lord show me how I can strip myself back and feel okay without all of  my embellishments without disappointing too many people"

But it could mean a lot of things really!

That's a really interesting interpretation, I never really thought about it that way, but she's still a very rebellious individual. She's talked about her rebellion and how that's just an inherent part of her during this era, so I don't think it's necessarily talking about stripping back that side of her, but rather, just going back to her "Father's daughter, mother's daughter, sister's sister, etc. etc.". I believe it's more about going back to that traditional Italian, Catholic girl, and just showing her that side of her, rather than taking away another side. 

[Katie14 4,828]

1 minute ago, Helxig said:

That makes so much sense, I can't believe I didn't pick up on it myself!

Like her anxiety is telling her "it's the highway (running away from her problems) or the dry-way (getting sober and facing them all)"

" don't leave me high, dont leave me dry"

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

7 minutes ago, Helxig said:

I suddenly had the thought "is this line about her moving on from her earlier rebellious days? "

She used to always go on about wearing her leather to feel alright, wearing her leather to feel strong and powerful, wearing her leather as a rebellious statement, etc during the BTW era.

especially for Judas

[Twitter 14]

Career? Relationship? Suicidal Thoughts? There's so many interpretations to this song now. 

[sexfashionfame 144]

2 hours ago, Helxig said:

Omg I was thinking about this line yesterday in depth too! It came all of a sudden when watching the MR video.

I suddenly had the thought "is this line about her moving on from her earlier rebellious days? "

She used to always go on about wearing her leather to feel alright, wearing her leather to feel strong and powerful, wearing her leather as a rebellious statement, etc during the BTW era.

"Lord show me the way to cut through all this worn out leather" all of a sudden sounded to me like "Lord show me how I can strip myself back and feel okay without all of  my embellishments without disappointing too many people"

But it could mean a lot of things really!

Totally agreed!

[Joshie S 5,994]

46 minutes ago, KING said:

Career? Relationship? Suicidal Thoughts? There's so many interpretations to this song now. 

That's a good thing. Art is suppose to make people think, and with the Million Reasons video, she has made us think. ARTPOP.