36 Passionate Jessie Reyez Lyrics & Quotes About Life, Relationships, & Her Latinx Roots
Jessie Reyez's lyrics are deep.
Jessie Reyez is a Canadian-Colombian singer and songwriter. From her earliest songs to most recent interviews, Jessie Reyez lyrics and quotes have consistently remained among the most relatable.
Born to two Colombian immigrants, her father taught her how to play guitar as a young girl. Before her music career set off, she spent her time busking on the beach, working odd jobs on the side.
When she worked as a grocery store cashier, she wrote song lyrics on paper receipts. Her participation in the Remix Project, a music and arts education program for low-income students, connected her to King Louie. Thunderstruck by her raw vocal talent and capacity to write gut-wrenching lyrics, he invited her to collaborate.
It wasn’t until 2017, when she released her EP, Kiddo, that she began to build momentum as a songwriter. Her song, “Gatekeeper,” is a horrific and cringe-worthy chronicle of sexual harassment in the music industry. Her EP Being Human in Public was nominated for a Grammy, and her debut album, Before Love Came to Kill Us, was shortlisted for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize.
Here are the best Jessie Reyez quotes and lyrics about life & death, relationships, and her Latinx roots.
Jessie Reyez Quotes and Lyrics About Life & Death
1. I think about dying every day. I've been told that that’s a little strange, yeah. — Jessie Reyez, "Saint Nobody"
2. You make me wanna jump off the roof. I love you to death, just like a fool. — Jessie Reyez, "Coffin"
3. Everything I fear's on a noose. I ain't got nothing to lose. — Jessie Reyez, "Roof"
4. I'm trying to heal, but it's a process. They told me I should cut my losses. — Jessie Reyez, "Do You Love Her"
5. I swear to God on your deathbed you'll think of me whether I'm there or not. — Jessie Reyez, "Crazy"
6. I'll die for my state. Love in my veins. You are my kingdom. I wrote your name. — Jessie Reyez, "Intruders"
7. We either break up when we're young or we say goodbye when we die. — Jessie Reyez, "Before Love Came to Kill Us"
8. But when our lives are running out and your heartbeat has taken the draw, could you try to look around? — Jessie Reyez, "Love in the Dark"
9. Maybe Buddha's got it right. We reincarnate every time. And I'll find you in another life. — Jessie Reyez, "Coffin"
10. And you said that you wish that you were dead. So I write a little note out. Suicidal love roulette — Jessie Reyez, "Coffin"
11. Y yo no veo la hora de largarme de este barrio desesperada de pena. — Jessie Reyez, "La Memoria"
12. These days I let all my flowers die. I like my flowers dead in a vase, over some rocks because there's more control that way. — Jessie Reyez, "I Do"
13. "When you finally realize the mirror is your best friend, life just gets sunnier." — Jessie Reyez
14. "Hesitation always gets you killed." — Jessie Reyez
15. "Stop worrying about what could go wrong. It ruins the moment. Just enjoy it." — Jessie Reyez
16. "I haven’t had someone I could trust since I realized the mirror wasn’t another person." — Jessie Reyez
Jessie Reyez Quotes & Lyrics About Relationships
17. I gave you ride or die and you gave me games, love. Figures. I know I'm crying 'cause you just won't change, love. — Jessie Reyez, "Figures"
18. Baby, I'd rather be hard to love than easy to leave. — Jessie Reyez, "Hard to Love"
19. I wish I was a bad guy so we could just be fightin' on the same side. — Jessie Reyez, "Same Side"
20. "As much as I can be bitter about how it ended or as much as anybody can be sad about how a relationship ended, it’s when you are far enough removed from it that it doesn’t hurt anymore, you can appreciate the little moments that were beautiful." — Jessie Reyez
21. Get over them by getting under me. But you might OD if you get too much of me. — Jessie Reyez, "Imported"
22. "Love has always been headfirst. And when you go headfirst, you risk breaking your neck." — Jessie Reyez
23. "I struggle with insecurities. I struggle with forgiveness. I struggle with letting someone go that did me dirty without vengeance, which is an evil thing." — Jessie Reyez
24. And I'm sick with feeling like I deserved better. And you're sick for everything you did to me, it was a setup. — Jessie Reyez, "Do You Love Her"
25. Would you give me your heart again? Or at least let me borrow it? — Jessie Reyez, "I Do"
26. Lyin' to myself, sayin' I'll be fine. I don't want you, I hate you, I think, but I don't wanna be alone either. — Jessie Reyez, "Same Side"
27. "The more you love someone the more power you give them to hurt you." — Jessie Reyez
28. "Someone can be miles away, but if they're in your heart, that means they're locked in your head, too." — Jessie Reyez
Jessie Reyez Quotes About Her Latinx Roots
29. "When I sing in Spanish, my tone is different. I feel more relaxed because that's how I speak to my family." — Jessie Reyez
30. "Music's always been in my home. My dad plays guitar, and I grew up listening to cumbia and salsa and boleros." — Jessie Reyez
31. "When you come from an immigrant home, you're in a whole different world until you leave your house. In my teenage years, I had to learn to switch cultures the second I left my house and, when I came back, to go back to my fundamentals." — Jessie Reyez
32. "Some people's parents listened to the Beatles... but my family is Alquimia, Celia Cruz, and Carlos Vives - this old, rich Colombian music. I loved hearing that while I was growing up." — Jessie Reyez
33. "I can tell you that I know my parents are the loves of my life. They’re the greatest love I’ve known so far." — Jessie Reyez
34. "It’s cool because I come from an immigrant family, so it’s nice to be able to wave your parents’ flag, and wave the Canadian flag, and wave both proudly, and you can hold onto your roots." — Jessie Reyez
35. "A lot of Latinx people have African blood. My grandfather was black. I have family members that are Afro-Latinos, so this is also personal for me. I am a visible Latina and I show love to the Black revolution openly. I think one of the best things someone can do if they want to see the world change is lead by example — so that’s what I try to do." — Jessie Reyez
36. "To be blunt, I feel like lyricism in Spanish is of a different quality than English. You can get really poetic in Spanish, but I feel like if you do that in English, you risk sounding cheesy. In Spanish, it's never that. It's always this deep, passionate, beautiful imagery; it's painted different, a different color. " — Jessie Reyez
Izzy Casey is a writer who covers pop culture. Her work is published in or forthcoming from Corriere della Sera, The Iowa Review, Bennington Review, Gulf Coast, Black Warrior Review, BOATT, NY Tyrant, and elsewhere. She received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.