Glória
Emmy the Great Lyrics

So I cut my hair to look like Patti Smith
I changed something about myself to look like someone famous in the hopes of better expressing myself through music.

Now I'll sing about women who have sex with men
I'll use my music to explore the idea of heterosexual sex from a female perspective.

But just for the sake of the clearness of it
I'm putting this song out there to express myself and clarify what I'm trying to say.

I have made you this song
I'm sharing this song I made with you.

But it's just as a friend so...
I don't have any romantic feelings for you, I just hope you enjoy my music.

Hold on,
Wait a minute.

Can you give me a reason To sing about you? Make a thing about you?
Can you give me a reason to make music about you, specifically? Or to center my music around you?

If you really love music, then go start a band
If you truly love music, you should take action to create more of it, like starting a band.

Don't just talk about something you don't understand
Don't just talk about music unless you truly understand and appreciate it.

If you really crave action, then come start a fight
If you want to experience something exciting, take real action to start a physical fight or altercation.

Don't just go on about it the whole of the night
Don't just talk about being aggressive or starting fights all night long without ever actually doing anything.

'Cause cocaine makes you so fucking lame
Cocaine makes you uncool and unimpressive.

Just as I didn't ask, but I'm sure you'll explain
I didn't ask you to explain cocaine's effects, but I know you'll probably try to anyway.

How the motion of paper to skin Killed the skin that you're in Now it's all paper-thin Vapours glistening...
Talking about how you snort cocaine has thinned out and killed your skin, making it glisten like paper in the light.

Smoke...
The imagery shifts to just focusing on smoke.

Well, apparently where there is smoke you'll find fire But in your eyes I can't see no passion at all Just a girl with a cigarette whose one desire Is to go through this life being fashionably small
Smoke is often a sign of danger, but in your case, it just reflects your small, passionless existence, focused entirely on fitting in and looking fashionable.

Yeah, well - Gloria, basically, listen to this All your posturing makes me forget you exist So pick up all the names that you dropped Stop for a minute, just stop Hold on...
Gloria, listen closely: your attempts at being cool and self-promotion make me not care about you. Stop dropping names and trying so hard to impress people.

But darling, the night-time was made for the young It's the only thing we can possess So honey your accent, and ready your tongue We'll make unholy mess out of your party dress
The night is the best time for young people like us to do whatever we want, so get ready to party and have a crazy time.

'Cause the city is beckoning, Pulses and sirens The drone of the glow and the hum of the violence Is singing "Tomorrow is dead" Gather in all the shades of the red siren-song And the dusk is calling you to arms
The city is calling for us to join its dangerous scene, with sirens singing of violence and the impending death of tomorrow. We should embrace the danger and excitement.

Oh, the night's welcoming So let's flirt with some sin Then I'll go home, come clean and I'll do the right thing by him Conquer the heat of my wandering eye 'Cause we're humans, we're weak And we cheat and we lie
The night is the perfect time for us to engage in some sinful behavior, before I go home to my boyfriend and be faithful. We're all imperfect and prone to temptation.

Oh but... Gloria, show me the weakness in you For tonight if I breathe in, will you breathe in too? 'Cause tomorrow will probably be spent in bed How much more time like this do we have 'til we're...
But Gloria, I want to see your vulnerable side. If I inhale smoke, will you do the same? We only have so much time for this kind of reckless behavior.

...smoke?
The song ends on the recurring imagery of smoke, suggesting that the whole song is just a momentary, fleeting experience much like smoke.