Infections of a Different Kind (song)

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Infections of a Different Kind
Song
Artist	AURORA
Album	Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1 Stories
Released	September 28, 2018
Recorded	2018
Genre	Alternative Electropop
Length	5:27
Label	Decca Records Glassnote Petroleum Records
Writer(s)	Aurora Aksnes
Producer(s)	Tim Bran Roy Kerr Askjell

Infections of a Different Kind – Step 1 Chronology
Previous	"Soft Universe"

Stories (EP) Chronology
Previous	"Little Boy in the Grass"
Next	"A Different Kind of Human"

"Infections of a Different Kind" is the eighth and final track on the album Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1. It was written by Aurora and produced by Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, and Askjell.

About the song

The song was the one that started the whole idea of her second album, Aurora wrote it in January of 2017 at midnight. In an interview with MYP Magazine she said:

"One night I wrote a song in my dreams. It was the title track from my album Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1. I woke up in the middle of the night and went down to my piano. I pushed the record button on my phone and played the melody. And then I went to bed again."

In an October 2018 interview with indie.vidualist, she explains the line "Be God in the shape of a girl", and the story shows that she already had the concept for The Gods We Can Touch back then:

"I was at an airport, it was late, I was alone and my plane was the last one to leave. It was the year before I wrote the song, so 2016, which was a hard year for me because it was quite busy and I was sick all the time – I was in the hospital many many times. So yeah, at the airport… I was on my way home again, I felt a bit out of place, out of my own body, and then I looked at this family.
I saw two very tired parents, and then this little girl – she was maybe 3 years old – and she seemed to give them so much joy, even though they were very tired. And she gave me a lot of joy. And then I saw an old couple, leaning over to look at the little girl who was smiling back at them. She seemed to interact with almost everyone at the gate, and make everyone happy. Without even knowing it. And I loved the way happiness and love can be so… simple? Don't underestimate the power of a child. It was just very magical to see how much it affected everyone and everything.
If I was to choose a religion, I would love it if god would be something that you can touch. Something like a little girl, on this earth, and not something that is far away or judges from above, you know?"

Lyrics

• Transcribed
• Official

It's a feeling growing old with time
Like a restless in the leaves calming down
The world is a hole and we all seem to fall
Down and down

And the universe is growing tall
And we are caving into dreams of this space
Unfolding our arms cannot do any harm
Violent contractions

And if there is a God
Would we even know his name?
And if there is a God
I think he would shake his head
And turn away

So belong to us all
Be God in the shape of a girl
Who walks this world
And I beg, I beg to be drained
From the pain I have soaked myself in
So I can stay okay
And more than okay for a while
For a while, for a while

Infections of a different kind
The world has been attacked by your pain
If I am the world then why would I hurt
All that is living?

And if there is a God
Would he then believe in us?
And if there is a God
I think he can't hear all of us

Belong to us all
Be God in the shape of a girl
Who walks this world
And I beg, I beg to be drained
From the pain I have soaked myself in
So I can stay okay
And more than okay for a while
For a while, for a while

This is the breath
This is the breath

It's a feeling growing old with time
Like restless inner leaves coming down*
The world is a hole and we all seem to fall
Down and down

And the universe is growing tall
And we're caving into dreams of the space*
Unfolding her arms cannot do any harm*
Violent contractions

And if there is a God, would we even know his name?
And if there is a God, I think he would shake his head
And turn away

So belong to a soul*
Be God in the shape of a girl
Who walks this world
And I beg, I beg to be drained
From the pain I've soaked myself in*
So I can stay okay
And more than okay for a while
For a while, for a while

Infections of a different kind
The world is being attacked by your pain*
If I'm the world then why would I hurt*
All that is living?

And if there is a God, would he then believe in us? Ah ah
And if there is a God, I think he can't hear all of us

So belong to a soul*
Be God in the shape of a girl
Who walks this world
And I beg, I beg to be drained
From the pain I've soaked myself in*
So I can stay okay,
And more than okay for a while
For a while, for a while

This is the breath, this is the breath

Transcribed lyrics made by listening. Official lyrics copied from the booklet of Infections of a Different Kind of Human (Japanese deluxe edition CD). Differences are marked with *

Trivia

• The song has various lyric variations in live performances.
  • The line "Would we even know his name?" has a variation "Would we even know her name?", implying a female God.
  • Similarly, the line "he would shake his head" has variations including "they would shake their head", implying a non-binary God.
  • Similarly, the very last line "this is the breath" has variations including "we are the breath" and "you are the breath".
• In another live performance, Aurora sang alternative lyrics at the end of the third verse: "When power means more, we are all to become dangerous creatures". At the end, she admitted that was because she forgot the original lyrics.