☝️ Key Points
- The artist questions his authenticity and sings about the difficulty of expressing his true feelings
- He expresses the desire to live in a world that is not only composed of extremes (black and white)
- Shawn Mendes shows his longing for love and recognition, especially through the line 'I wonder what it's like to be loved by you'
- He expresses fears about showing his emotions and saying something wrong, as this is seen as a weakness in society
- At the end of the song, he expresses hope to have someone by his side who will assure him that everything will be alright
Interpretation
The song 'Wonder' by
Shawn Mendes is a deep and emotional reflection on insecurity, self-doubt, and the longing for love.
In the song lyrics, the singer questions his authenticity with the lines 'I wonder if I'm being real. Do I speak my truth or do I filter how I feel?'. He wonders if he expresses his true feelings or filters them to fit into a certain role.
He expresses the desire to live in a world that is not black and white, meaning a world that is not just composed of extremes. 'I wonder wouldn't it be nice to live inside a world that isn't black and white?'
The singer-songwriter ponders what it's like to be his friends and hopes they don't think he forgets about them. 'I wonder, what it's like to be my friends. Hope that they don't think I forget about them.'
The lines 'I wonder what it's like to be loved by you' reveal his longing for love and recognition. He dreams of being loved by a specific person and wonders how it would feel.
He also addresses his fears of saying something wrong and showing his emotions - especially crying, which he sees as a weakness and makes him appear less masculine. 'I wonder, when I cry into my hands. I'm conditioned to feel like it makes me less of a man.'
Lastly, he expresses the wish for someone to be by his side and tell him that everything will be alright. 'And I wonder if some day you'll be by my side. And tell me that the world will end up alright.'
Overall, the song 'Wonder' is an honest exploration of the artist's inner struggles and his search for love and acceptance.