Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl Lyrics
And I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on
And you're not coming back
Talking trash, under your breath
Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash
Talking trash, under my window
Sleep on the floor, dream about me
And I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on
And you're not coming back
I was listening to Anthems... this evening and a new perspective hit me. Not only is she talking about adolescence in general, but about her's in particular. The older, "grown-up" version is looking back lovingly at the person she was growing up, the person that turned into what she is now. She uses the second-person pronouns to refer to the young girl to not only separate her from herself, but to allow the audience to more easily identify with her.
Brilliant.
yeah, that's what I always thought. It's like, she's looking at herself and realizes she loed who she was when she was a kid, and didn't care about rules and being good or other people, but now she is a teenager who wears makeup and brightens her teeth. she wishes she was young again and carefree, but she can't stop it. butthen i can never understand the part where she's like, "park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me..." so, i think it is possible that is froma younger sister to an older one, wishing her role...
yeah, that's what I always thought. It's like, she's looking at herself and realizes she loed who she was when she was a kid, and didn't care about rules and being good or other people, but now she is a teenager who wears makeup and brightens her teeth. she wishes she was young again and carefree, but she can't stop it. butthen i can never understand the part where she's like, "park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me..." so, i think it is possible that is froma younger sister to an older one, wishing her role model/etc. was nicer and more of kid again. everything else still applies, except in the birdge, she is trying to gether sister to come home.
that is my take on everything...
Given your interpretation, she's just trying to get herself into a nostalgic mood. Take a break from being an adult (park that car, drop that phone) and go back to what she'd do as a kid (sleep on the floor) and remember (dream about) how good it used to be.
Given your interpretation, she's just trying to get herself into a nostalgic mood. Take a break from being an adult (park that car, drop that phone) and go back to what she'd do as a kid (sleep on the floor) and remember (dream about) how good it used to be.
The younger self looks upon the older self, watching the older self, in turn, "dream" about the old times of being the young self.
The younger self looks upon the older self, watching the older self, in turn, "dream" about the old times of being the young self.
Though the young self was probably boisterous, "rotten" and fun, the older self is more mature and cannot return to that state of being.
Though the young self was probably boisterous, "rotten" and fun, the older self is more mature and cannot return to that state of being.
One of the tragedies of aging, one becomes a different person with time.
One of the tragedies of aging, one becomes a different person with time.
(I will interpret "under my window" as the bedroom window of the girl, so the older girl still sleeps under the same window she slept under as a child. This is reasonable because rooms tend...
(I will interpret "under my window" as the bedroom window of the girl, so the older girl still sleeps under the same window she slept under as a child. This is reasonable because rooms tend to hold a lot of nostalgia and remind people about the things that happened in the room.)
It seems that all the guys seem to be saying that the girl is singing about a guy. Wishful thinking. The song is actually about a 17 year old girl who had someone she looked up to who spent time with her. This someone was a female, could be in the form of an older friend, older sister, etc. As she grew up, the other girl, being the older one, naturally moved on and left the childhood/adolescent years behind and moved into her adult life. Got a car, got a job, always on the phone, bleaches teeth, wears make-up, becomes too busy for the young girl who is left a little bit lost and confused.
My younger sister, who is 17, feels this way. Me being ten years her senior, I no longer have the time to horse around and have had to put away the childish things.
This is the full set of lyrics from start to finish--the entire song, not just the verses squashed together. These are the lyrics in its entirety--no skipping, no miscounting, nothing. This is it. I hope I helped. :)
Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on And you're not coming back Can't you come back?
Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on And you're not coming back
Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash Talking trash, under your breath Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash Talking trash, under your breath Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash Talking trash, under your breath Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash Talking trash, under my window
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, Sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone Park that car, drop that phone Park that car, drop that phone Park that car, drop that phone Park that car, drop that phone
Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that Now you're all gone, got your make-up on And you're not coming back
I think this song is about a woman looking back on how she used to be as a teenager.
Used to be the one of the rotten ones And I liked you for that Now you're all gone, got your make-up on And you're not coming back
Pretty obvious, she used to be rebellious and she liked that about her old self. Now she's grown up and has lost that side of herself. The line "got your make-up on" makes me think of her as being a smart businesswoman now. She knows she can't get her teenage self back again.
Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash Talking trash, under your breath (I'm sure it IS under your breath first time round!)
Again, the bleaching teeth and smiling flash make me think of the businesswoman trying to impress others and make deals, always smiling fakely. Then the talking trash, under your breath is like she hasn't got the courage (or the lack of responsibility) to say what she really feels anymore, like she did when she was a teenager. She has to say it under her breath instead.
Park that car Drop that phone Sleep on the floor Dream about me
Ok, best verse! This just makes me see her having a breakdown, or moment of realization. Like, she's on the phone to some big business client (sorry, im obsessed with her being a businesswoman! :D) and then suddenly she just can't take it anymore so she just drops her phone, stops her car, curls up in the back seat and... dreams of her old self
beautiful :)
The song is simple, in my opinion; a really relatable experience for a lot of people: A relationship is really innocent and close--then people grow up; they change; they grow apart.
In the speaker's opinion: the other party is growing for the worse--they've become materialistic and shallow; they hide their real self from the world ("make up on" and "bleaching [their] teeth").
The stanza about the car, phone, and floor: it's symbolic for the other party's materialism--by jettisoning a car, phone, and bed, the other party would be losing objects that now define their life. And by doing that, the party could "dream about" the speaker again (and a simpler time before that materialism).
And I think that the title is a little tongue-and-cheek in that regard--I think that the "anthem" part of the title suggests how it's supposed to be almost cliche. High School Aged kids lose close friends all of the time as they near adulthood, and a common statement will be "oh, so-and-so was once a really close friend, but they have changed so much!"
This song is about wanting that other person to miss your lost-friendship too ("dream about me").
Also, there is nothing in the song to suggest it is about a romantic-relationship; it might be, but I almost believe it is about a platonic friendship (two girls, maybe). We are just conditioned to think of songs as being about romance before we really look at them closely.
It's also important that the other party ISN'T "one of the rotten ones" anymore; so they're probably in a more established, popular, or beneficial position now. And the speaker was effectually "left behind" in order for that to happen.
It's also important that the other party ISN'T "one of the rotten ones" anymore; so they're probably in a more established, popular, or beneficial position now. And the speaker was effectually "left behind" in order for that to happen.
Love the song, by the way.
Love the song, by the way.
I like the "Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me." Dunno why, probably because I wish there was a girl out there who wanted me to dream about her.
Well, there are a million girls out there wishing that a guy was wishing just like you.
Well, there are a million girls out there wishing that a guy was wishing just like you.
^ Agree.
^ Agree.
i love the repetition, gentle at first, then seeming to drive, to grind, to crush you.
a street smart kid and her partner in crime, parter in crime gets caught by the plastic world.
The emotional nuance of this song is spot on, which I think is the sadness in leaving childhood behind and attempts to make it last just a little bit longer. It's full of nostalgia. The narrative behind it goes like this: A young girl at the cusp of adolescence [adulthood is possible here too, the narrator here can be anywhere from 8-17], a time of confusion, enormous change, and general emotional tumult. Social links change too as people change, move away,attend different schools, etc. It can be hard to see an another [older?] childhood friend or a sister excited at the prospect of "growing up" so to speak who is moving into a different path in her life [figuratively and literally] and knowing that you can't share that with her and the sadness this separation brings. There is the feeling of being left behind and perhaps being forgotten in the process...
In a nutshell, the narrator sees all the signs of maturation [learning to drive, putting makeup on, moving away to live alone, starting a different life] in her friend is generally accepting of it all, but hopes that she won't be forgotten in her fervent plea, to "dream about me". Alternatively the song is a retrospective of a younger self as a youth... to never forget...
teenage girldom in a nutshell =)