The Cycle
Emily Osment Lyrics

You're riding up the elevator
You're climbing the ladder of success.

Shirt tucked in right
You're dressed for success and put together on the surface.

No space
You don't have room for anything in your life besides your ambitions.

Head case
Your desire for success is driving you insane.

Up against the street lights
You're competing with everyone else in the world who wants success.

This is your world walking high and mighty
You're walking like you own the world and nothing can bring you down.

I got news for you and you ain't gonna like it
Your obsession with success is predictable and holding you back.

A five second replay
You're stuck in a cycle of chasing success and repeating the same actions over and over again.

Yeah, this is what you look like
You're not seeing the big picture and how your actions are affecting your life.

You're so predictable
Your actions are basic and lacking originality.

Yeah, yeah
A dismissive acknowledgement of the predictability.

You're so typical
You're following the expected path to success like everyone else.

Dah dah dahdah dah dah dahdah dah
Repetition of the predictable and typical nature of the subject's behavior.

Heavy breath
You're struggling and maybe even suffocating under the pressure to succeed.

Crooked heart
Your desire for success is misguided and causing you pain.

Shoes tied
You're always prepared for the next step towards success.

Up straight
You're holding it together on the surface and appear to be in control.

Same old push and pull
Your actions and desires are constantly in conflict, causing a back and forth struggle.

You got no time
You're always rushing towards success and don't have time for anything else.

You can't be late
Success is your top priority and any delay is unacceptable.

This is your life
Your entire existence is centered around chasing success.

Breaking teeth for smiles
You're putting on a fake persona of happiness and success, even if it's hurting you in the process.

One for the game
You're playing the game of life and success to win.

One just for the cycle
Your life has become a repetitive cycle of chasing success.

Well, all those hours in the mirror
You're constantly analyzing yourself and trying to improve to achieve success.

The more you say
The more you proclaim your desire for success, the more predictable your behavior becomes.

I hope you hear
Hopefully, you will start to realize that your current behavior is holding you back from true success.

It's me looking back at you now
The singer is calling out the subject of the song for their predictable behavior.

You think you've got it figured it out
You believe that your current behavior is the key to success.

But you're so predictable
Your predictable behavior is keeping you from discovering new paths to success.

Dah dah dahdah dah dah dahdah dah
Repetition and confirmation of the subject's predictability.