Lizzy McAlpine is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Philadelphia who has been making waves in the indie folk scene with her heartfelt and honest songs.
She released her second album, five seconds flat, in April 2022, which features the song Ceilings.
It has become one of her most popular and streamed tracks, earning her a gold certification by the RIAA and a spot on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
The song plays like a memory that’s slightly smudged. It sounds delicate, almost private, which makes sense considering she recorded the original demo alone in a tiny flat in London after a breakup.
According to Lizzy, it took about 30 minutes to get it down. That off-the-cuff honesty is what makes ‘Ceilings’ sting the way it does.
Ceilings is a touching and bittersweet song backed by acoustic guitar and delicate vocals that convey poignant lyrics, reflecting on love and the small, intimate moments that make it worthwhile.
However, what is the meaning behind Ceilings lyrics? What inspired Lizzy McAlpine to write this song? And what emotions does she want to evoke in her listeners?
In this breakdown, we will explore the heartfelt layers of Ceilings lyrics and try to understand the message and story that Lizzy McAlpine wants to share with us.
The Inspiration Behind Ceilings Lyrics
Lizzy McAlpine revealed in an interview, “I had just ended things with someone and then went to London for three months to … not escape that [relationship], but also, kind of, do that,”. “And this song is basically just a reflection on that relationship — but not being in it anymore.”
The Meaning Behind Ceilings Lyrics
The lyrics of Ceilings narrate a relationship that is destined to end yet is cherished by the protagonist.
Lizzy McAlpine intricately describes the mundane aspects of spending time with her lover, from sitting beneath a plaster ceiling to getting rained on and driving home together.
The song delves into her inner conflict of wanting to express her feelings while fearing that doing so may ruin the moment.
She acknowledges that the entire scenario is unreal, and she cannot recall the last time she was kissed.
The song culminates with a heartbreaking realisation that it feels like the conclusion of a movie she has witnessed before.
The underlying meaning of Ceilings lyrics is to portray love as both beautiful and tragic, real and imaginary, comforting and chaotic.
Lizzy McAlpine intends to convey the complex and paradoxical nature of love, showcasing how it can evoke a range of emotions simultaneously.
She seeks to illustrate that love is not always perfect or long-lasting, but it is still worth experiencing and cherishing.
The Lyrics, Broken Open
“Ceilings, plaster / Can’t you just make it move faster?” The kind of line that sounds throwaway until you realise she’s talking to the ceiling.
That strange kind of loneliness where you end up talking to the room, hoping time bends in your favour.
The word “lovely” repeats like a nervous tick. Everything is lovely. The rain, the silence, the chaos. It’s almost too lovely—like she’s trying to convince herself.
“You’re kinda cute, but I don’t wanna ruin the moment.” She wants to say more, but doesn’t. That restraint drives the whole song.
She hovers in that awkward in-between space where you’re not sure if you’re in love, or just lonely enough to pretend.
And then, the knife: “But it’s not real / And you don’t exist.” All that build-up crashes, not with rage, but a sigh. No climax. Just quiet devastation.
TikTok, Tattoos, and That Viral Ending
The line “Lovely to sit between comfort and chaos” has made its way onto a lot of wrists. Lizzy noticed.
She mentioned in an interview that people tattoo it not just because it’s poetic, but because it feels true beyond the context of the song.
That’s the strange power of Ceilings—its fantasy reads like your memory.
On TikTok, the song went viral for the outro’s twist. Users would act out the song, happy and soft until that final line dropped.
Then: blank stares, unravelled mascara, and thousands of comments from people saying, “Wait, what?”
The Emotions Behind The Ceilings Lyrics
Through the lyrics of Ceilings, Lizzy McAlpine aims to share a multitude of emotions with her listeners.
She wants them to feel the joy and sadness, hope and despair, gratitude and regret that she experienced during her dream.
Lizzy McAlpine endeavours to establish a sense of relatability, encouraging her audience to empathise with her story and connect with her feelings.
Furthermore, Ceilings lyrics evoke a range of emotions that Lizzy McAlpine intends to stir within her listeners.
She aims to elicit nostalgia and sentimentality while simultaneously inspiring and uplifting them.
Lizzy McAlpine wants her audience to appreciate the beauty of love and life, even in their imperfect and transient nature.
Overall, she seeks to evoke genuine emotional responses, whether they be joy, sadness, or nostalgia.
The Sound of Something That Slips Away
The production is as restrained as the story. It starts gentle and sparse, the kind of guitar strumming that makes you feel like you’ve walked into someone else’s confession.
As the story builds, so does the sound. But only slightly. By the end, everything becomes a little heavier—not louder, just heavier.
Chords shift softly between tension and release. It leans into open voicings that ring out but never resolve neatly. If the lyrics weren’t enough to make you ache, the music finishes the job.
And then it fades. Just like the relationship she imagined.
Why ‘Ceilings’ Stuck With Everyone
Part of it is timing. A lot of listeners were just ready to cry over something that felt small but sincere.
But mostly, it’s because Lizzy McAlpine didn’t overwrite it. She said just enough, and let silence do the rest.
That, and the ending. It’s the kind of twist you don’t see coming, but immediately want to replay just to catch the signs.
You never get a full picture of who the other person is—only Lizzy, wrapped up in a version of them that might never have existed.
That’s what makes it land. It’s not about what happened. It’s about what she wanted to happen. And that’s always harder to let go of.
To learn more about Lizzy McAlpine and her music, visit her official website or follow her on social media platforms.
You can also stream Ceilings on popular music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine is a song that elicits genuine emotions, be it joy, sadness, or nostalgia.
It invites listeners to appreciate the beauty of love and life, even in their imperfect and fleeting nature. Long after the song ends, its resonance will remain with you.
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Lizzy McAlpine Ceilings Lyrics
Verse 1
Ceilings, plaster
Can’t you just make it move faster?
Lovely to be sitting here with you
You’re kinda cute but it’s raining harder
My shoes are now full of water
Lovely to be rained on with you
It’s kinda cute but it’s so short
Chorus
Then you’re driving me home
And I don’t wanna leave
But I have to go
You kiss me in your car
And it feels like the start of a movie I’ve seen before
Before
Verse 2
Bed sheets, no clothes
Touch me like nobody else does
Lovely to just lay here with you
You’re kinda cute and I would say all of this
But I don’t wanna ruin the moment
Lovely to sit between comfort and chaos
Chorus
But it’s over
Then you’re driving me home
And it kinda comes out as I get up to go
You kiss me in your car
And it feels like the start of a movie I’ve seen before
Outro
But it’s not real
And you don’t exist
And I can’t recall the last time I was kissed
It hits me in the car
And it feels like the end of a movie I’ve seen before
Before
