10. Sweet Sixteen
Billy Idol Lyrics

I'll do anything
The singer is expressing a willingness to do anything for their loved one.

For my sweet sixteen,
The singer's love is addressed as their sweet sixteen. They are attached emotionally and possessively to this person.

And I'll do anything
The singer reiterates their commitment to their loved one, doubling down on their willingness to help them in any way.

For little run away child
The artist addresses their loved one as a little runaway child. This suggests that the object of his affections is both youthful and impressionable.

Gave my heart an engagement ring,
The artist professes that they gave their heart, symbolized by an engagement ring, to their loved one.

She took everything,
The loved one has presumably abandoned the singer but not without taking everything that the singer had provided them. This might hint at materialistic motivations on the part of the loved one.

Everything I gave her,
The singer feels betrayed and hurt by their loved one's actions, who has not only abandoned them but also walked away with everything the singer had ever given them.

Oh sweet sixteen
The artist reiterates their loved one's age and their attachment to them.

Built a moon
The artist had built a special symbol of love, the moon, for their loved ones' amusement and enjoyment.

For a rocking chair,
The moon was built as a rocking-chair decoration, which implies that the artist intended it to be an everyday part of their loved one's life.

I never guessed it would
The singer had not anticipated that the loved one would leave them and move far away.

Rock her far from here
The rocking chair and the sweet sixteen's youthfulness imply they have been taken away from the artist, possibly against their will or better judgment.

Someone's built a candy castle
Another person has built a candy castle for the singer's sweet sixteen. This suggests that a replacement or an alternative suitor might also be courting the singer's loved one, possibly with a similar or better motivation.

Someone's built a candy brain
Another person has indulged or brainwashed the singer's sweet sixteen with sweets and other pleasures, manipulating or spoiling her.

And filled it in.
The candy brain or body is full, and there is no room left for the singer to enter the picture anymore. The alternative suitor has replaced the singer essentially.

Well, memories may burn you,
The artist reflects that memories of the loved one will hurt or distress them in the future.

Memories grow older as people can
As people get older, memories tend to fade and lose their emotional potency.

They just get colder
Memory and their emotional power diminish over time until they become cold.

Like sweet sixteen
The thought of the loved one is compared with the fading memories of a youthful, inexperienced person.

I see it's clear
The artist's positive affections for their loved one vanish, and they realize that their loved one has moved on without a thought for the artist's feelings.

Baby, that you are
The loved one is addressed as 'baby', a term of endearment.

All through here
The artist fully understands the loved one's present thoughts and emotions. It is now clear to the artist that the loved one no longer has any positive feelings towards them.

Someone's built a candy house
The repeated line indicates that someone has succeeded in distracting the singer's sweet sixteen by showering her with attractions to move on from the singer and toward them.

To house her in.
The candy house represents not just a physical location but a mental state where the alternative suitor has placed the loved one for them to live under their control.

I see it's clear
The singer reiterates their realization that the loved one they once knew is no more and had fully moved on mentally from them.

Do anything
The singer emphasizes their commitment to their loved one by quoting the opening line of the chorus.

For run away girl.
The loved one is again referred to as the 'runaway girl', stressing the reckless and youthful nature of their connection.

Yeah, sad and lonely and blue.
The artist is left feeling sad, lonely and blue as a result of their breakup and the loss of the loved one.

Yeah, getting over you.
Despite their sadness, the artist is trying to move on from the person who they addressed as their sweet sixteen for whom they would do anything.

How, how do you think it feels
The singer asks a rhetorical question, implying that only those like them who have loved with their whole heart can understand the feeling of loss.

Yeah to get up in the morning, get over you.
The singer is explaining that they are trying to recover from the breakup by carrying on with their life, but it's hard to move on while still in love.

Up in the morning, get over you.
The artist is explaining that their love is so powerful that it is difficult to escape it and get over their sweet sixteen entirely.

Wipe away the tears, get over you, get over, get over...
The artist is trying to cope with the breakup of the relationship and move past the sorrow.

My sweet sixteen,
The artist's loved one is once again addressed as the sweet sixteen.

Oh runaway child
The sweet sixteen is described as a runaway child, indicating both youthfulness and irresponsibility.

Oh sweet sixteen
The reiteration of the loved one's age and the sweetness of their relationship is repeated once again.

Gave my heart an engagement ring,
The singer gave their heart to their loved one as a symbol of their commitment and unyielding love.

She left everything,
The loved one left suddenly, without informing the singer, and took everything that the singer had given them or brought them along without a second glance, emotionally and tangibly.

Everything I gave her,
The singer repeats his realization for the loved one taking everything from them, including the possessions they gave as gifts.

Built a moon
The moon was a symbol of ice and wonder embodied in an everyday object that the loved one enjoyed and provided comfort, security, and calmness to the pair's connection.

For a rocking chair,
The moon was created for a rocking chair, suggesting that it is part of the everyday life of the couple and provided them with convenience and relaxation points.

I never guessed it would
The singer acknowledges that he never suspected that this everyday object would one day contribute to fostering the bond's destruction or the lover's desertion.

Rock her far from here
The rocking chair and the moon, which once were the epitome of their relationship, have now driven her away.

Someone's built a candy castle
The fact that another person built a candy castle, as earlier stated in the lyrics, is reiterated, indicating the danger and challenges of two people entering this romantic space and the distinct change between people.

Someone's built a candy house
Surprisingly, someone else has built the loved one a candy house as well, indicating that the artist is not the only one competing for the sweet sixteen's affection.

And house her in.
The candy house is not only a physical location but also a state of being.

Do anything
The singer repeats the opening line of the chorus, reaffirming their willingness to do anything to win back the sweet sixteen's friendship or love.

For run away girl.
The artist addresses their loved one as a run-away girl, indicating that she is still drifting without any anchor or safeguards.

Oh sweet sixteen
The song ends with the loved one being addressed as 'sweet sixteen' once again, reminding the audience of the youthfulness and purity of their love that they once knew and reminiscing on their past.