Lady Gaga explains "resilient" meaning behind 'Abracadabra' lyrics

3 February 2025, 08:58

Lady Gaga 'Abracadabra' lyrics meaning explained
Lady Gaga 'Abracadabra' lyrics meaning explained. Picture: Interscope Records
Sam  Prance

By Sam Prance

What are Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra' lyrics about? Here's what she's said about the song.

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Lady Gaga is back in Mother Monster mode and she's now opened up about what her 'Abracadabra' lyrics are about.

Ever since Lady Gaga announced her seventh album 'MAYHEM' in January, fans have been desperate to hear what it sounds like. Containing the singles 'Disease' and 'Die with a Smile', LG7 looks set to be a huge success. In the press release, Gaga said: "The album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved."

Now, Gaga has dropped the third single 'Abracadabra' with the music video premiering during a Grammys ad break. The song is Gaga in true Gaga form but what is singing about? Here's the meaning behind the song explained.

What does 'Abracadabra' mean?

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"Abracadabra" is a word that magicians tend to say when performing a magic trick and Gaga uses the word to convey the magic of self-love. The song features abstract imagery reminiscent of Gaga's early work. She wails: Hold me in your heart tonight / In the magic of the dark moonlight / Save me from this empty fight / In the game of life.

In the chorus, Gaga chants: Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na / Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga / Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na / In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight". Amor meaning "love" in latin and "morta" meaning death.

Explaining the meaning behind 'Abracadabra' with Elle, Gaga said: "The song is about facing the challenge of life and the challenge of the night and finding the magic in it all. When you have to face the world, the people around you, your life, your unique circumstances, your unique fabric in the world."

She added: "And when you feel challenged with really showing everybody who you are."

Lady Gaga - Abracadabra (Official Music Video)

Gaga also references a lady in red in the song's lyrics and video: Like a poem said by a lady in red / You hear the last few words of your life. Explaining who she is, Gaga said: "The lady in red is all of you that puts you to the test. Your internal monologue. 'Can you do it? Can you do it? Will you do it? Are you good enough? Can you handle it?'

Gaga continued: "In a lot of ways, the song is about dealing with that challenge to yourself and very often the world around us can reflect it back to us as well. I wanted to explore the question, 'What does it feel like to thrive and not just be surviving all the time?"

She ended by saying: "I wanted this song to be about resilience in a way the song Disease was not. That track was about inner torture and being trapped. And so with this song, I wanted to crack open what it means to persevere."

Lady Gaga - 'Abracadabra' lyrics

INTRO
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra

VERSE 1
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawing circles in the clouds
Keep your mind on the distance
When the devil turns around

PRE-CHORUS
Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
Like a poem said by a lady in red
You hear the last few words of your life
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
It's time to cast your spell on the night

CHORUS
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"

REFRAIN
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Feel the beat under your feet, the floor's on firе
Abracadabra, abracadabra

VERSE 2
Choose the road on the wеst side
As the dust flies, watch it burn
Don't waste time on a feeling
Use your passion, no return

PRE-CHORUS
Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
Like a poem said by a lady in red
You hear the last few words of your life
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
It's time to cast your spell on the night

CHORUS
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"

REFRAIN
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Feel the beat under your feet, the floor's on fire
Abracadabra, abracadabra

BRIDGE
Phantom of the dance floor, come to me
Sing for me a sinful melody
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Rah)

CHORUS
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"

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