Velvet Claw

This retro indie pop song depicts a volatile, addictive relationship defined by a cycle of healing and heartbreak, and the duality of feeling trapped by the sweet but destructive affection of a partner. - V1 You had a smile like sin in silk And I was dumb enough to drink it in You said, “Baby, stay a little while” Then turned my heart to porcelain I held your coat in the hallway light You left a bruise where the moon had been Sweet as sugar on a borrowed knife That’s how the trouble all begins - Pre-Chorus I say go, you pull me near I taste the smoke, I taste the fear Your kiss is honey Your goodbye’s steel And I don’t know which one’s real - Chorus Love me, hate me Say my name Love me, hate me Burn the same One hand heals me One hand breaks Love me, hate me I can’t escape - V2 I found your note in my jacket sleeve Little black ink with a little white lie “Don’t look back,” but you left the keys And I still drove to your alibi Your laugh came sharp like shattered glass Your tears fell slow like heavy rain I kept the roses, kept the ash Kept every wound that knew your name - Pre-Chorus I say go, you pull me near I taste the smoke, I taste the fear Your kiss is honey Your goodbye’s steel And I don’t know which one’s real - Chorus Love me, hate me Say my name Love me, hate me Burn the same One hand heals me One hand breaks Love me, hate me I can’t escape - Bridge If I’m the match, then you’re the flame If I’m the prayer, then you’re the rain We make a house out of a fight And sleep inside it every night - Chorus Love me, hate me Say my name Love me, hate me Burn the same One hand heals me One hand breaks Love me, hate me I can’t escape Copyright © 2026 Andrew Reitmaier