A Burning Hill Lyrics Meaning

In her famous line, "I am a forest fire. I am the fire, and I am the forest, and I am the witness watching it", a forest fire is destructive, out of control, and destroying something so beautiful and full of life. Forests are associated with being bursting with life, important, beautiful, intricate, etc. However, she is the forest AND the fire. She is destroying herself but helpless when watching it burn, she's burning her life up. She's destroying herself and she knows that without the fire (depression), she is beautiful and full of life like what a forest is. The witness is her just watching what she is doing but after that lyric, Mitski says, "I stand in a valley watching it, and you're not there at all" the "you" is her realizing what she is doing but feeling powerless in stopping it therefore not doing anything about it. In a more relatable way, this could also be someone who is self-sabotaging everything in their life knowing the affects it is bringing. In a contrast opinion to others, her wearing a white button-down to be neat could be a sign of her wanting to clean up her destructive actions. Following with "and I'll love some littler things" can suggest that there will always be something small and hopeful beyond all of our uncertainties in life. That we are made for more than just regret and desperation, that we will always be capable of starting over.