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Nieve Ella, Jamie T, Rachel Chinouriri and Remi Wolf cover Dork's new issue - order now!•

Tate McRae has announced new single ‘Housewife’•

Slayyyter has announced companion album ‘Wor$t Man in America’ for December•

Welly are going to headline a very special Dork’s Night Out at The 100 Club•

Down With Boring returns tonight with The North, plus bags of new music•

Keo have announced their 2027 UK, European and North American headline tour•

Primavera Sound Barcelona has announced its 2027 anniversary line-up•

Madra Salach have released new single ‘Ribbon Factory’•

Bleech 9:3 have dropped new track 'Tourniquet' and announced their biggest headline tour yet•

Mollie Elizabeth has announced her new EP ‘People Pleaser’ and shared ‘Kiss The Ring’•

Baby Dave and The Works have kicked off a new collaboration with ‘Wings’•

RAYE, Olivia Dean, JADE and more are set to perform at the 2026 Mercury Prize ceremony•

Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•

LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•

Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•

Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•

The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•

flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•

Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•

JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•

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Tracks
Snail Mail
Valentine
Headlock

TRACK

Headlock

Release date: 5th November 2021

From Valentine

Track 3

3:13

Alternative Music

Spotify Apple Music More on Snail Mail

About This Track

'Headlock' by Snail Mail is an Alternative track from the album 'Valentine' (2021). The lyrics place a speaker in a possessive, volatile romance, framed as a slow loss of control as devotion curdles into sorrow. There is a sense of coercion and escalation, with menace creeping into the relationship and the speaker being pulled along, under pressure that turns intimate promises into dread. One telling line, “Sorrow snuck into our secret place”, captures how the bond is already being quietly ruined from within.

"Headlock" is a track by Snail Mail, from the album Valentine, released 5th November 2021. The track is 3:13 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 15 articles about Snail Mail.

About the Artist

Snail Mail

Snail Mail

Lyrics

Headlock

When did you start seeing her?
Guess somebody finally tamed you
Never seen you look so sure

Sorrow snuck into our secret place
Drag me with you to nirvana, baby, take me all the way

Drinking just to taste her mouth
Got you drifting in and out

Mister Death wants my baby now
Felt the crowd was wrong to claim you
Won't they ever quiet down?

Someone's daughter adorned in flames
Drag me with you to nirvana, baby, take me all the way

Man enough to see this through
Man, I'm nothing without you

Thought I'd see her when I died
Filled the bath up with warm water
Nothing on the other side

Man enough to see this through
Or is it one more thing I won't get to?
Can't go out, I'm tethered to
Another world where we're together
Are you lost in it too?
Are you lost in it too?
Are you lost in it too?
Are you lost in it too?

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Valentine

3:132021

Listen

Album

5th November 2021

Track number

3

Release year

2021

1Valentine
3:16
2Ben Franklin
3:02
3Headlock
3:13
4Light Blue
2:34

Watch the music video

Snail Mail — "Headlock"

Snail Mail — "Headlock"

"Headlock"

More from Snail Mail

Albums & EPs

Ricochet

Lush

Habit

Ben Franklin

Pristine (Edit)

Pristine (Edit)

Spotify Singles

Spotify Singles

Explore

More tracks by Snail Mail

My MakerRicochet

Dead EndRicochet

Agony FreakRicochet

RicochetRicochet

Light On Our FeetRicochet

Tractor BeamRicochet

NowhereRicochet

ReverieRicochet

ButterflyRicochet

Light On Our Feet

Light On Our Feet

Shoot The Singer (Live from the Pavement Museum in NYC)

Two Legs (Snail Mail version)

Tonight, Tonight

Tonight, Tonight

c. et al. (Demo)

Automate (Demo)

Headlock (Demo)

Spotify Singles

Feeling Like I Do - Spotify Singles

Headlock - Spotify Singles

Adore You (Valentine demo)

Ben FranklinValentine

MadonnaValentine

AutomateValentine

Forever (Sailing)Valentine

View all tracks by Snail Mail →

Tonight, Tonight
4:21
Adore You (Valentine demo)
Agony FreakRicochet
3:21
Agony Freak
3:21
Agony Freak
3:21
AutomateValentine
3:09
Automate (Demo)
Ben FranklinValentine
3:02
ButterflyRicochet
3:34
Butterfly
3:34

Showing 10 of 50

If you like Snail Mail

Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy

Ratboy

Ratboy

Grace Ives

Grace Ives

Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett

Momma

Momma

This is Lorelei

This is Lorelei

5Forever (Sailing)

Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer: Snail Mail
Producer: Brad Cook, Snail Mail
Mixing Engineer: Alex Farrar

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

READ MORE ABOUT SNAIL MAIL

Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney have covered Elastica together in Boston

Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney have covered Elastica together in Boston

Liz Phair welcomed Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein onstage for Elastica’s ‘Connection’ at Boston’s MGM Music Hall.

22 Sept 2026 • 4:31 pm

Soccer Mommy has returned with new single ‘Rings Of Saturn’

Soccer Mommy has returned with new single ‘Rings Of Saturn’

Sophie Allison has shared ‘Rings Of Saturn’, accompanied by a Suji Park visualiser and ahead of a North American co-headline tour with Snail Mail.

17 Sept 2026 • 2:09 pm

Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan joined Liz Phair for ‘Go West’ in Denver

Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan joined Liz Phair for ‘Go West’ in Denver

Jordan duetted with Phair on the ‘Whip-Smart’ track during the tour’s Denver stop.

16 Sept 2026 • 3:21 pm

Snail Mail and TV Girl are among the final names for Øya Festival

Snail Mail and TV Girl are among the final names for Øya Festival

Øya Festival will run from 8th-12th August in Oslo, Norway.

12 Jul 2023 • 10:16 am

Snail Mail has postponed her upcoming UK tour due to needing vocal cord surgery

Snail Mail has postponed her upcoming UK tour due to needing vocal cord surgery

The rescheduled UK dates are yet to be announced.

22 Nov 2021 • 3:38 pm

Snail Mail is visiting the UK this spring for some shows

Snail Mail is visiting the UK this spring for some shows

She's four shows coming up in May.

7 Mar 2018 • 7:56 pm