To build on the momentum, Benjamin began uploading new songs to his YouTube channel at a rapid clip and eventually earned a viral hit with “I Built a Friend” and a deal with Atlantic Records.
Benjamin connects to listeners by incorporating using his life struggles to tell stories and give meaning to his songs. You can see this in “Let Me Down Slowly,” “Paper Crown,” “I Built a Friend,” “Death of a Hero,” and “If We Have Each Other.”
Benjamin released his first studio album mixtape, Narrated for You on November 16, 2018, and released his first studio album, These Two Windows on May 29, 2020
Nancy Got a Haircut
Alec Benjamin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She looks really nice now
Walkin' with a light strut
Drawin' all the eyes, how nice
Oh, how nice
Nancy's got a new dude
Pullin' all the fellas
Girls are doin' voodoo
My, it must be nice
To be Nancy
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nobody knows what it's like
To be Nancy
Nancy's got a hard life
Winnin' isn't easy
Even when it's part-time
Even when it's sleazy
I think I would die
If I were like Nancy
Had to do what she does
Dressin' up all fancy
Fightin' on for freedom
I think I would die
I wouldn't wanna be Nancy
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nobody knows what it's like
To be Nancy
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nobody knows what it's like
To be Nancy
The opening lines of the song, "Nancy got a haircut, she looks really nice now, walkin' with a light strut, drawin' all the eyes, how nice, oh how nice" is about Nancy, a girl who recently cut her hair and is now looking good. Alec Benjamin acknowledges how her haircut is drawing attention as she walks by. He then proceeds to describe how Nancy now has a new boyfriend that has the attention of other guys, and jealous girls are resorting to voodoo for envy. Despite what onlookers may think, Alec understands that nobody knows what it's like to be Nancy, to constantly endure the scrutiny of the public eye.
The second verse delves deeper into Nancy's life, emphasizing that living up to people's expectations is not an easy task for her. She has to win all the time, even when the competition is unfair, and dress up fancy to face the world on a daily basis. Alec, however, states that he wouldn't want to be Nancy, as it would be too much burden to bear. He empathizes with her struggles and understands how difficult it is to live a life under such constant pressure.
Overall, "Nancy Got a Haircut" is a song about the difficulties of living in the public eye, facing scrutiny and constantly trying to meet the expectations of others. Alec Benjamin points out that it's impossible for anyone to understand what it's like to be in someone else's shoes, to be scrutinized as if on TV, to be Nancy.
Line by Line Meaning
Nancy got a haircut
Nancy made a change in her appearance
She looks really nice now
Her new look suits her well
Walkin' with a light strut
Nancy is confidently showing off her new look
Drawin' all the eyes, how nice
People are taking notice of her new appearance
Oh, how nice
The observers are emphasizing on how much they like her new appearance
Nancy's got a new dude
Nancy is seeing a new romantic partner
Pullin' all the fellas
Her new partner is impressing other men
Girls are doin' voodoo
Other women are feeling envious of Nancy's new romantic partner
'Cause they're getting jealous
Their envy is the reason they're practicing voodoo
My, it must be nice
Observing Nancy's life from the outside seems wonderful
To be Nancy
Her life looks desirable from the outside
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Despite the outside impression, Nancy's life might be different
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nancy might feel like she's under constant surveillance
Nancy's got a hard life
Nancy's life might be challenging
Winnin' isn't easy
Nancy might have to work hard to achieve success
Even when it's part-time
Nancy might face difficulties even while working part-time
Even when it's sleazy
Even if her work is questionable or objectionable
I think I would die
The singer indicates that they would struggle if they were in Nancy's position
If I were like Nancy
The singer puts themselves in Nancy's shoes to empathize with her
Had to do what she does
The artist is referring to Nancy's job/lifestyle
Dressin' up all fancy
One aspect of Nancy's job could be presenting herself in a particular way
Fightin' on for freedom
Nancy might have to face challenges to live her life in her way
I wouldn't wanna be Nancy
Despite Nancy's outside image, the singer indicates they would not like to trade places with her
Oh-oh
Musical interlude
Oh-oh-oh
Musical interlude
Oh-oh
Musical interlude
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Musical interlude
Oh-oh
Musical interlude
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Musical interlude
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Reiteration of the earlier line to emphasize the message
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Reiteration of the earlier line to emphasize the message
Nobody knows what it's like
Reiteration of the earlier line to emphasize its validity
To be Nancy
Reiteration of the earlier line to emphasize the message
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alec Shane Benjamin, Samuel Elliott Roman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Browniebegger
Nancy got a haircut
She looks really nice now
Walkin' with a light strut.
Drawin' all the eyes
How nice
Oh, how nice
Nancy's got a new dude
Pullin' all the fellas
Girls are doin' voodoo
'Cause they're getting jealous
My, it must be nice
To be Nancy
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nobody knows what it's like
To be Nancy
Nancy's got a hard life
Winnin' isn't easy
Even when it's part-time
Even when it's sleazy
I think I would die
If I were like Nancy
Had to do what she does
Dressin' up all fancy
Fightin' off the freedom
I think I would die
I wouldn't wanna be Nancy
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nobody knows what it's like
To be Nancy
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh
But nobody knows what it's like to be
Scrutinized like you're on TV
Nobody knows what it's like
To be Nancy
*Edit*: I just corrected a line “Walkin’ with the lights out” to “Walkin’ with a light strut”.
Browniebegger
@Giampier Lopez (I’m not too sure how accurate this is, but when I put it through my translator, this is what I receive:) No estoy muy seguro de la exactitud de esto, pero cuando lo paso por mi traductor, esto es lo que recibo:
Nancy se cortó el pelo
Se ve muy bien ahora
Caminando con las luces apagadas
Dibujando todos los ojos
Qué bonito
Oh, qué bien
Nancy tiene un nuevo amigo
Tirando de todos los chicos
Las chicas están haciendo vudú
Porque se están poniendo celosas
Mi, debe ser agradable
Ser Nancy
Pero nadie sabe lo que es ser
Escrutado como si estuvieras en la televisión
Nadie sabe lo que es
Ser Nancy
Nancy tiene una vida dura
Ganar no es fácil
Incluso cuando es a tiempo parcial
Incluso cuando es sórdido
Creo que me moriría
Si yo fuera como Nancy
Tendría que hacer lo que ella hace
Vestirse elegantemente
Luchando contra la libertad
Creo que me moriría
No querría ser Nancy
Pero nadie sabe lo que es ser
Escudriñar como si estuvieras en la televisión
Nadie sabe lo que es
Ser Nancy
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh
Pero nadie sabe lo que es ser
Scrutinized como usted está en la televisión
Nadie sabe lo que es
Ser Nancy
Alec Benjamin
MY BRAND NEW ALBUM (UN)COMMENTARY IS OUT EVERYWHERE NOW! I HOPE YOU LOVE IT:) PERFORMING AT COACHELLA THIS SUNDAY/NEXT SUNDAY .. ON TOUR AFTER THAT! tour: https://linktr.ee/alecbenjamin
Fk
CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU IN UK
Ultimate Ships
LETSS GOOOOOOO
kiran
I just tried making my own song inspired by him
Not as good as this ofc 😅
tell me honestly how was it Good / bad !
I would love to hear back from you ❤️
It's in my Channels playlist..
mis Rabinka
So unusual that your songs have become faster, I hope they will not lose your soul.
And it sounds so nice.
swagstar
YAAAAA
nklr
I love how he's world is small with dedicated fan base, all of them love all of his music,, no drama no haters just vibes in this small little world
kiran
I just tried making my own song inspired by him
Not as good as this ofc 😅
tell me honestly how was it Good / bad !
I would love to hear back from you ❤️
It's in my Channels playlist
azir
@kiranstop self promoting urself
Heenali Shah
@nklr ikkkr❤️💘❤️
But i do hope he gets even more recognition...
He's soo underrated😩💘