TATTOO
Casey Bolles Lyrics


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She has a tattoo that reminds her
she is lucky to be breathing.
She has a tattoo that reminds her of the things
she tells herself she loves.
I don't believe she feels lucky
I don't believe she loves anything
She doesn't love anything.
She doesn't leave the confines of her bedroom
still she doesn't sleep like she used to.
She has these dreams she cannot explain
and for the nights she is too far gone to remember her own name.
She has these tattoos
She has these tattoos
I can fucking smell you
from the across the room.
Your stupid perfume
made me wanna puke
And I took refuge in the bathroom
I look in the mirror.
Does my hair look okay?




Can I keep a straight face?
I cannot keep a straight face

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Casey Bolles's song "Tattoo" are full of melancholy and frustration. The first stanza describes a tattoo on a person that reminds them that they are lucky to be alive. However, the singer cannot believe that the person actually feels lucky or enjoys anything in their life. The second stanza describes the person's withdrawal from society, trapped within the confines of their bedroom. The person suffers from unexplainable dreams and sleeps poorly, leading to forgetfulness of their own name. Despite all of this, the person adorned themselves with tattoos, which the singer can seemingly smell from far away.


The lyrics seem to tell a story of a person who may be struggling with depression or mental illness, using tattoos as a form of self-expression while simultaneously feeling trapped within their own mind. The singer seems to be angry and frustrated with the situation, perhaps because they want to help but cannot understand the person's struggle. There may be an underlying theme of feeling disconnected from others or the world around us, as the singer takes refuge in the bathroom and struggles to keep a straight face.


Line by Line Meaning

She has a tattoo that reminds her she is lucky to be breathing.
She has a permanent marking that serves as a reminder that she has survived tough times and should be grateful for being alive.


She has a tattoo that reminds her of the things she tells herself she loves.
She has another tattoo that is a symbol of the things she claims to love, but may not actually feel passion for.


I don't believe she feels lucky
The singer is skeptical about whether or not the girl truly appreciates her life.


I don't believe she loves anything
The artist doubts that the girl has any real loves or passions, despite her tattoos and outward appearance.


She doesn't leave the confines of her bedroom
The girl spends most of her time inside her room and avoids social situations.


still she doesn't sleep like she used to.
Even though she doesn't leave her bedroom, her sleeping habits have changed and she struggles with restful sleep.


She has these dreams she cannot explain
The girl experiences dreams that are puzzling and difficult to decipher.


and for the nights she is too far gone to remember her own name.
On certain occasions she is so caught up in whatever she's feeling or doing, she loses her sense of identity.


She has these tattoos
This line is repeated to emphasize the girl's tattoo collection, which holds significant meaning for her.


I can fucking smell you from across the room.
The smell of the girl's perfume is so strong that it's easily noticeable from afar.


Your stupid perfume made me wanna puke
The singer dislikes the girl's fragrance so much that it made him feel physically ill.


And I took refuge in the bathroom
The artist steps away from the girl to gather himself and get some distance from the unpleasant smell.


I look in the mirror. Does my hair look okay?
The singer takes a moment to check his appearance and make sure he still looks presentable after feeling sick.


Can I keep a straight face? I cannot keep a straight face
The singer contemplates whether he can maintain a serious expression or not, but ultimately finds it difficult and breaks into laughter or a smile.




Contributed by Ava N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

bekahflo

I love the tone of his voice. What a precious blueberry muffin.

Xpmett

I can care less about looks or age, if you can write and play beautiful meaningful songs with a harmonizing melodies then kudos to you.

On another note great fucking song, and I love hearing the angst in your voice accompanied by the acoustic, it ties in very very well. I hope to see much more of your talent in the future and will be sharing this with the homies. Good job dude :)

TooFuckingBad Band

I always come back to this one. Casey is a genuis I love this song among his others but he should've blown tf up when he got signed. You're great tho man and you're songs mean a ton to me!

Aidan Fleming

I think its refreshing to have a young artist in this particular genre of music. Great job!

LuckyZ's Hero

Another great artist!! Fantastic song

Mushtaq Samim

I've been rocking out to this song the past week, this music video makes it even better

TooFuckingBad Band

still so underrated I will always love this song

Brittany

You have talent. I saved three of your songs on spotify before realizing you were around my age?? Like wow

Gabby Reid

Casey is so talented. Love this music <3

TheActualWorm

he has alot of talent. he is goibg to be HUGE

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