“Footprints” is an orphan from a Beyoncé writing session in Hamptons for her 2013 self titled album. In the song Sia is comparing a relationship’s progress to “two footprints in the sand”. Sia spoke about the track in her interview with Rolling Stone Magazine.
There is a Beyonce reject on there. It’s one of my favorite songs, actually. I really like it. We did that in the Hamptons session we did years ago for the most recent album she did. I got “Pretty Hurts” from that album, but originally I wrote 25 songs for it while we were in the Hamptons and one made the record. Isn’t that amazing?"
“Footprints” is a great example of Sia’s ability to adopt the personas of the artists she writes for. While Beyoncé has been fairly vocal about her Christian faith, Sia has been more coy about her religious views.
Lyrics of Footprints
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I've fallen through the floor again, crashed into the basement
Your pain was swallowing me
I was like a lead balloon when I couldn't even get up to
Turn the lights on, the dark was swallowing me
Lord knows you can't trust your head
When you're standing on the edge
I'm breaking down
Lord knows you can't trust your head
When you're hanging by a thread
I was breaking down
And I saw only two footprints in the sand
Thought you'd abandoned me and
Let go of my hand
But you were carrying me
Carrying me to safety
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Oh what if I had got the things I knew it was I
Who'd abandoned with you
Forgive me, I was lost and found
You had never left my side
Picked me up when I thought I would die
You helped me and I was fine
Lord knows you can't trust your head
When you're standing on the edge
I'm breaking down
Lord knows you can't trust your head
When you're hanging by a thread
And I'm breaking down
Only two footprints in the sand
Thought you'd abandoned me and
Let go of my hand
But you were carrying me
Carrying me to safety
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Only two footprints in the sand
Thought you'd abandoned me and
Let go of my hand
But you were carrying me
Carrying me to safety
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand