Why Billie Eilish’s “Your Power” Is More Resonant Than Ever

Billie Eilish switched up the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour setlist at her Nashville show on Nov. 6 to play “Your Power,” a soft and raw track from her sophomore record Happier Than Ever. The 22-year-old’s solemn performance, which marked its tour debut, served as a response to Donald Trump winning the 2024 presidential election.

“Waking up this morning, I kinda couldn’t fathom doing a show on this day,” said Eilish, who campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris. But later, she reflected on the privilege of “[getting] to do this with you guys,” adding, “I just love you so much, and I want you to know that ... you’re protected here, and you’re safe in this room.”

While the “Birds of a Feather” singer co-wrote “Your Power” with her brother Finneas in 2021, its powerful lyrics, which address abuse and surviving sexual violence, seemed to take on new meaning following election night. From its cautionary opening line — “Try not to abuse your power” — the song examines the dynamics between men and women, especially in relationships where there is an age gap, while questioning the patriarchy’s intentions.

In the first verse, Eilish unpacks the situation: a girl who “said you were a hero” and a man who “played the part” until he “ruined her in a year.” The unbalanced circumstances become even more apparent as its lyrics reveal: “She was sleeping in your clothes / But now she’s got to get to class.”

Though the acoustic-driven production sounds tranquil, the accusatory chorus borders on a rallying cry. Accordingly, the audience in Nashville screamed its words at full volume: “How dare you? And how could you? / Will you only feel bad when they find out? / If you could take it all back, would you?” By posing questions to the perpetrator, Eilish details the emotional toll the situation took on her and the lack of remorse from the other side. In the second chorus, she twists the lyrics, suggesting that accountability only comes if the more powerful person were faced with repercussions: “Will you only feel bad if it turns out / That they kill your contract?”

In the second verse, the singer’s lyrics highlight the relationship’s inequities and an imbalance she’s grown to understand. “I thought that I was special; you made me feel / Like it was my fault you were the devil,” she sings before wondering: “Does it keep you in control? For you to keep her in a cage? / And you swear you didn’t know / You said you thought she was your age.”

At the concert, Eilish explained that the song’s details came from a personal place, though they speak to an all-too-familiar pattern of men taking advantage. “[‘Your Power’ is] about the abuse that exists in the world upon women and a lot of the experiences that I have gone through and that people I know have gone through,” she said. “And, to tell you the truth, I’ve never met one single woman who doesn’t have a story of abuse.”

“I’ve been taken advantage of, and I’ve been … my boundaries were crossed, to say it politely,” she said, adding that Trump’s election brings those memories back to the surface. “Now a … convicted predator, let’s say that, someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be president of the United States.”

Fittingly, the song ends with a change to the chorus: “You might not wanna lose your power / But power isn’t pain.” The line showcases an awareness and firmer understanding of boundaries while acknowledging she isn’t to blame. She echoed this sentiment again in the recent performance, telling the crowd: “This song is for all the women out there. I love you, I support you.”