The “Bey Hive” is officially back and buzzing this summer! The first track from Beyoncé’s highly anticipated new album, Renaissance, has just been released and it’s a bounce banger! Entitled “Break My Soul”, featuring New Orleans’ bounce queen, Big Freedia, with a sample from Robin S.’s infamous “Show Me Love”, it is a rhythmic, upbeat, soulful dance song with lots of energy.
I think it is no coincidence that “Break My Soul” was released on Juneteenth, which is a federal holiday that commemorates the day that African American slaves in Texas were told that they were finally liberated in 1865, which occurred three years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This song details a person who feels a new sense of liberation and has fallen in love (with themself) and just quit their job, wanting to increase their “vibration” with a “new foundation”.
I feel that it is also no coincidence that this particular track was released first, as June is also Pride Month, and the song features vocals by popular bounce artist, Big Freedia, who is well-known within the LGBT community.
Beyoncé’s music is well-known for having a play on words, illustrating a deeper insight to life that is beneath the surface. She lightly touches on the latest stage of the pandemic, as the world begins to go back outside, but also plays with a “worldwide hoodie” term which I took as meaning the racial and ethnic disparities still going on in the U.S., Africa, and globally worldwide, as some of us still wear our masks outside as COVID-19 is still a thing.
She very briefly then metaphorically hints at her real life, being in a house with a “whole lot of people”, which I took to represent having three children who keep her busy, and letting her hair down “’cause I lost my mind”. She then goes deeper, touching on spiritual consciousness with “If you don’t seek it, you won’t see it”; “if you don’t think it, you won’t be it”. This has a double meaning as well that is not only inspirational, but also deeply spiritual, to those that “get it”… I will just leave it at that and let it marinate…
Renaissance is scheduled to release on July 29, 2022 and will mark Bey’s seventh studio album. Her sixth studio album, Lemonade, debuted on April 23, 2016, almost six full years ago. Wow, it was definitely time for another one. Can’t wait to hear more!
Check out “Break My Soul” here:
Lyrics
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
I’M TELLING EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
NOW I JUST FELL IN LOVE
AND I JUST QUIT MY JOB
I’M GONNA FIND NEW DRIVE
DAMN THEY WORK ME SO DAMN HARD
WORK BY NINE
THEN OFF PAST FIVE
AND THEY WORK MY NERVES
THAT’S WHY I CANNOT SLEEP AT NIGHT
MOTIVATION
I’M LOOKING FOR A NEW FOUNDATION, YEAH
AND I’M ON THAT NEW VIBRATION
I’M BUILDING MY OWN FOUNDATION, YEAH
HOLD UP
OH BABY BABY BABY
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
I’M TELLING EVERYBODY EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
IMMA LET DOWN MY HAIR
‘CAUSE I LOST MY MIND
BEY IS BACK AND I’M SLEEPING REAL GOOD AT NIGHT
THE QUEENS IN THE FRONT AND THE DOMS IN THE BACK
AIN’T TAKIN’ NO FLICKS BUT THE WHOLE CLIQUE SNAPPED
IT’S A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE
TRYING TO SMOKE WITH THE YAK IN YOUR MOUTH
AND WE BACK OUTSIDE
YOU SAID YOU OUTSIDE BUT YOU AIN’T THAT OUTSIDE
WORLDWIDE HOODIE WITH THE MASK OUTSIDE
IN CASE YOU FORGOT HOW WE ACT OUTSIDE
GOT MOTIVATION
I DONE FOUND ME A NEW FOUNDATION, YEAH
AND I’M TAKING MY NEW SALVATION
AND IMMA BUILD MY OWN FOUNDATION, YEAH
OOH BABY BABY
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
AND I’M TELLING EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
IF YOU DON’T SEEK IT
YOU WON’T SEE IT
THAT WE ALL KNOW
IF YOU DON’T THINK IT
YOU WON’T BE IT
THAT LOVE AIN’T YOURS
TRYING TO FAKE IT
NEVER MAKES IT
THAT WE ALL KNOW
YOU CAN HAVE THE STRESS
AND NOT TAKE LESS
I’LL JUSTIFY LOVE
WE GO ROUND IN CIRCLES
ROUND IN CIRCLES
SEARCHING FOR LOVE
WE GO UP AND DOWN
LOST AND FOUND
SEARCHING FOR LOVE
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT LIVES INSIDE ME
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT LIVES INSIDE ME
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
I’M TELLING EVERYBODY
TELLING EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL, NO, NO
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
YOU WON’T BREAK MY SOUL
AND I’M TELLING EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
I’M TAKING MY NEW SALVATION
AND IMMA BUILD MY OWN FOUNDATION, YEAH
GOT MOTIVATION
I DONE FOUND ME A NEW FOUNDATION, YEAH
I’M TAKING MY NEW SALVATION
AND IMMA BUILD MY OWN FOUNDATION, YEAH
“Break My Soul” has landed a spot on the I Am Woman playlist.
This article was last revised on June 23, 2022.
