TV
Billie Eilish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just wanna watch TV
I'll stay in the pool and drown
So I don't have to watch you leave
I put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer
Maybe I should get some sleep
Sinking in the sofa while they all betray each other
What's the point of anything?
All of my friends are missing again
That's what happens when you fall in love
You don't have the time, you leave them all behind
You tell yourself it's fine, you're just in love
Don't know where you are right now
Did you see me on TV?
I'll try not to starve myself
Just because you're mad at me
And I'll be in denial for at least a little while
What about the plans we made?
The internet's gone wild watching movie stars on trial
While they're overturning Roe v. Wade
Now all of my friends are missing again
'Cause that's what happens when you fall in love
You don't have the time, you leave them all behind
And you tell yourself it's fine, you're just in love
And I don't get along with anyone
Maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I, maybe I, maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I, maybe I, maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I, maybe I, maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I, maybe I, maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I, maybe I, maybe I'm the problem
Baby, I, baby, I, baby, I'm the problem
Baby, I, baby, I, baby, I'm the problem
Baby, I, baby, I, baby, I'm the problem
Baby, I, baby, I, baby, I'm the problem
Baby, I, baby, I, baby, I'm the problem
In "TV," Billie Eilish sings about wanting to escape reality and avoid confrontations with loved ones. She doesn't want to talk or deal with her problems, instead, she just wants to watch TV to distract herself. The drowning metaphor suggests a desire to lose herself in the comfort of the familiar sound and sight of the TV. Billie also highlights the betrayal portrayed on Survivor, seeming to claim that everyone is out for themselves and only wants to win, making the emotional stakes of real-life relationships all the more potent. She then muses on the loss of friendship due to love and how it was only fine because one is in love. The chorus seems to paint the picture of someone consumed by their own love, unable to see that they are neglecting other important things in their life, such as their friendships. But then in the last verse, Billie confronts the possibility that she is the one causing the distance from her friends, suggesting a deeper introspective turn in the song.
Interestingly, the song finishes the verse talking about movie stars on trial as they overturn Roe v. Wade, this could either be a comment on the current political situation or just more emphasis on the role of the TV as a distractor of real life issues. The song's message seems to be about the cost of escapism, the dangers of disregarding those closest to us and facing the consequences of not dealing with problems head-on.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna talk right now
I don't feel like communicating with anyone at the moment.
I just wanna watch TV
I want to distract myself by watching television.
I'll stay in the pool and drown
I would rather escape my problems by drowning myself in my thoughts.
So I don't have to watch you leave
I am trying to avoid getting hurt by avoiding the person who is leaving.
I put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer
I'm intentionally watching something that displays other people struggling, just to distract myself from my own issues.
Maybe I should get some sleep
Perhaps it's better for me to rest and reset my mind.
Sinking in the sofa while they all betray each other
I am allowing myself to get lost in the drama of TV characters instead of facing my own issues with people who have betrayed me.
What's the point of anything?
I am feeling hopeless and questioning the purpose of everything.
All of my friends are missing again
I am feeling isolated and alone.
That's what happens when you fall in love
Being in a relationship often makes you lose touch with friends and other relationships.
You don't have the time, you leave them all behind
When you're in love, it's easy to get lost in the relationship and forget about other important people in your life.
You tell yourself it's fine, you're just in love
You justify your actions with the idea that your focus on your relationship is out of love.
Don't know where you are right now
I am unsure of where the person who left me is, and I'm still struggling to come to terms with it.
Did you see me on TV?
I am seeking attention and validation from the one who left me.
I'll try not to starve myself
I'm determined not to let my emotions impact my physical well-being.
Just because you're mad at me
I don't want to punish myself with things like starvation just because the person who left me is angry with me.
And I'll be in denial for at least a little while
I am trying not to face the reality of the situation because it's too much for me to handle right now.
What about the plans we made?
I am questioning what will happen to the plans that we had made together now that the person has left.
The internet's gone wild watching movie stars on trial
I am observing and criticizing society's tendency to pay attention to irrelevant things over important events and news.
While they're overturning Roe v. Wade
I am referencing the overturning of a landmark Supreme Court case about reproductive rights.
'Cause that's what happens when you fall in love
I am further commenting on how falling in love can change a person's priorities and not always for the better.
And I don't get along with anyone
I am feeling a sense of disconnect from those around me.
Maybe I'm the problem
I am starting to confront the idea that perhaps the issues in my life come from within myself.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Billie Eilish O'Connell, Finneas Baird O'Connell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheGroovyGuitarDude
For anyone who wants to play this on guitar, here's how :)
- Standard Tuning - No Capo -
- Structure of the Song -
Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge
- Verse -
G, D/F#, Em* (A|0 2)
C, Dadd11, Em*
For each chord, strum:
↓ ↓↓↑
*↓ ↓ ↓↑ ↑↓(↓ ↓↑; include these strums in the 2nd Em)
- Chorus -
C, Dadd11, G*, D/F#*, Em
C, Dadd11, Em**
For each chord, strum:
↓ ↓↓↑
*↓↓↑
**↓ ↓ ↓↑ ↑↓(↓ ↓↑)
- Bridge -
C, Dadd11, Em**
Foe each chord, strum:
↓ ↓↓↑
**↓ ↓ ↓↑ ↑↓(↓ ↓↑)
Hope this helps out! If you get stuck or need a little extra help, I posted a video lesson for this on my channel :)
@MerylKeioskie
I hope you’re alright.
My ex broke up with me only five days ago, and reading over your post I related to it so much. I still love and care about him. He was the most stable and healthy relationship, that I had too. I know though, that I can do much better. Everyone tells me so. He’s being compared to my other toxic exes, and that’s why I think “Oh, what if I don’t get that again?” The answer to that, is that I won’t get that again. I’ll get better, because I’m doing the work on myself.
I hope… seeing as this comment was made three months ago, you’re doing better now. That gives me hope, for myself.
Although blaming yourself is easy, you can’t change yourself for another person — do that for you. Despite my brokenness my ex didn’t want to stay. At first, I blamed myself but then I realised… He was wrong for me. He wasn’t loving, patient, or kind and caring enough. He did a lot of wonderful things, but he just wasn’t enough. He didn’t understand me, on a deeper level even though I was very open. He was always closed-off, to a certain degree due to his upbringing. He didn’t want to be enough. I was the only one in the relationship, actively working on improving myself and getting better. Fights would get worse, I would get angrier and angrier because felt like he wasn’t doing enough. By the end of the relationship, and now. I feel so resentful toward him.
I feel he blames me for the relationship ending, but the truth is… I would’ve had to destroy myself completely, in-order to be with him. In the end the break-up was mutual and I chose myself.
@bellagraham957
There is alot of overwhelming feelings in this song, but it truly hits home. From what ive picked out of this it feels like shes talking about really just being tired of life and escaping to the tv. And she overthinks. I really love the deepness in this song
@fluffysweaters5634
Me:,)
@kalirosewood6321
I think this is the only song by Billie I like- Mostly because of this interpretation
@bellagraham957
@@kalirosewood6321 yess!
@ghostgirlll2190
I HIT HOME IFYKWIM 😘
@nicoleharwood3931
You know sometimes artists don’t sing about the details of their life and it’s just made it. We’ll many times.
@aradhanag2830
The “I’ll be in denial for at least a little while, what about the plans we made?” really hit home.
@noepascual3695
Yess it did
@sof83011
True
@jabby17
I made a bucket list with him.