“boys, bugs and men”

by Paris Paloma is a lyrically incisive indie-folk track that explores how boys, from a young age, discover and wield power over the powerless-often through small acts of violence, like killing bugs, that foreshadow later patterns of harm. The song uses gentle, dreamlike instrumentals to contrast its dark message, depicting how these boys grow into men who continue to exert power and cause suffering, with lines like “you take such delight in killing my light” and “now I have my answer, from when I wondered who those little boys became, because they grew up to be you”. Through vivid metaphor and melancholic tone, Paloma critiques cycles of violence and the disregard for “little things,” ultimately portraying the pain of the powerless and the consequences of unchecked power