Escape
Alice Cooper Lyrics

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Paint on my cruel or happy face
I hide me behind it
It takes me inside another place
Where no one can find it

Escape, I get out when I can
I escape anytime I can
It's all escape, I'm crying in my beer

Come on, let's escape, just get me out of here

Don't get me wrong, don't get me right
I'm not like you are
When I get home from work at night
I'm blacker and bluer

So I escape, I get out when I can
I escape anytime I can
It's all escape, I'm crying in my beer
Escape, just get me out of here

But where am I running to?
There's no place to go
Just put on my make-up
And get me to the show, yeah, escape

Yeah, what are you waiting for?

My doctor said, just come around
And you'll be taken care of
And while he ran my problems down
I stole his mascara

That's how I escape, I get out when I can
I escape anyway I can
I escape, I'm crying in my beer
Let's escape, just get me out of here

Escape, let's get out while we can
It's escape, anyway we can
Come on, let's escape
Nobody wants us around here anyway

Escape, what are we waiting for
Escape, escape, escape, come on now let's escape

Escape, escape, escape now
Escape, escape, escape, escape

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alice Cooper's song "Escape" are about the desire to escape from a reality that is painful or unfulfilling. The persona in the song feels that he has to hide his true self behind a mask in order to navigate through his day-to-day existence. He longs for a place where he can truly be himself and find some measure of peace. The chorus of the song - "Escape, I get out when I can, I escape anytime I can, It's all escape, I'm crying in my beer, Come on, let's escape, just get me out of here" - expresses this desire to be elsewhere, to find relief from the pain that this persona is feeling.

When the persona sings "Don't get me wrong, don't get me right, I'm not like you are," it suggests that he is aware of the fact that he is different, and that he does not fit in with his surroundings. He talks about coming home from work "black and blue," which could indicate that he is physically beaten down by his job or the people around him. He does not feel as though he has a place in his present surroundings, and the only way to find relief is to escape.

Despite this desire to escape, the persona does not know where he is running to, and remarks that "there's no place to go." The idea of putting on make-up and going to a show is one way that he has found to escape his reality. The song ends with the repeated phrase "Escape, escape, escape," reinforcing the desperate need to escape and find somewhere that the persona can truly be himself.

Line by Line Meaning

Paint on my cruel or happy face
I cover up my true emotions with a mask of either joy or cruelty

I hide me behind it
I conceal my inner self behind this facade

It takes me inside another place
This mask transports me to a different mental world

Where no one can find it
In this place, nobody can access or control me

Escape, I get out when I can
I frequently seek ways to flee this reality

I escape anytime I can
I attempt to evade my problems whenever possible

It's all escape, I'm crying in my beer
My life revolves around escapism, and I am miserable

Come on, let's escape, just get me out of here
Please, let's leave now, anywhere is better than here

Don't get me wrong, don't get me right
Don't mislabel or generalize me

I'm not like you are
I have a distinct identity separate from your assumptions

When I get home from work at night
After a long day, my mood worsens

I'm blacker and bluer
I feel more depressed and hopeless than ever

But where am I running to?
I'll escape, but there's no destination in sight

There's no place to go
There is nowhere safe or satisfying to flee to

Just put on my make-up
I put on my mask once again, even if it's stolen

And get me to the show, yeah, escape
I'll perform my illusion to distract myself from reality

My doctor said, just come around
My therapist suggested I talk to him

And you'll be taken care of
He'll provide me with the help that I need

And while he ran my problems down
As he analyzed my issues

I stole his mascara
I still resorted to my old behavior, stealing his makeup

Escape, let's get out while we can
Let's leave while we still have the chance to

It's escape, anyway we can
We'll flee this reality in any way possible

Come on, let's escape
Please, let's depart from here now

Nobody wants us around here anyway
We are not welcome in this place, so we should leave

Escape, what are we waiting for
Why haven't we left yet?

Escape, escape, escape, come on now let's escape
Repeating the urgency to escape

Escape, escape, escape now
Urging for an immediate exit

Escape, escape, escape, escape
Continuously calling for an escape

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ALICE COOPER, KIM VINCENT FOWLEY, C. MARK ANTHONY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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