Lipstick
Imperial Teen Lyrics


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Look, the sea just parted
Stop the race that started
Faking gaps for generations
Of nations
She's from Rapid City
Fueled on pride and pity
It's enough that she was raised there
Not to stay there

Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on
Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on

Bought a Stratocaster
Learned to play it faster
Fixed her hair and joined a rock band
Ooh, a rock band
Saw her in the paper
Tried so hard to hate her
It's just I'd rather see the movie
It'd move me

Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on
Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on

Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on
Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on

Why you gotta?
Why you gotta?
Why you gotta?

Autographs and spotlights
Makeup under hot lights
Girls who stand in line to see her
Wanna be her
Stalkers in the trees and
Cameras smashed to pieces
All she wanted was a pony
Just a pony

Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on
Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on

Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on
Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on

Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on
Why you gotta be so proud?
I'm the one with lipstick on

I'm the one with lipstick on
I'm the one with lipstick on




I'm the one with lipstick on
I'm the one with lipstick on

Overall Meaning

The song "Lipstick" by Imperial Teen is a catchy pop-rock tune that explores themes of jealousy and admiration. The lyrics describe a woman named from Rapid City, who leaves her hometown to pursue her dreams of becoming a rockstar. The singer of the song is jealous of her success and the attention she receives, but is also in admiration of her ambition and talent. The repeated line "Why you gotta be so proud? I'm the one with lipstick on" suggests a sense of resentment towards the Rapid City woman, but also a desire to emulate her and be just as successful.


The first verse sets the scene of a race that started and gaps being faked for generations of nations. This could refer to the competitive nature of the music industry and the way that success is often based on perceived differences between artists. The second verse introduces the Rapid City woman, who has left her hometown to join a rock band. The singer sees her in the paper and struggles to reconcile their jealousy with their admiration. The third verse describes the pitfalls that come with fame, including stalkers and smashed cameras. The repeated chorus emphasizes the singer's feelings of envy and insecurity, but also hints at a deeper desire to break free of their own limitations.


Line by Line Meaning

Look, the sea just parted
It seems like something major is happening.


Stop the race that started
Slow down and think about what's happening.


Faking gaps for generations of nations
Creating divides between people that don't actually exist, across generations.


She's from Rapid City
Talking about a specific person and where they're from.


Fueled on pride and pity
Motivated by both self-confidence and self-doubt.


It's enough that she was raised there
She doesn't need to stay in her hometown specifically to be successful.


Bought a Stratocaster
She got a new guitar.


Learned to play it faster
She improved her guitar playing skills.


Fixed her hair and joined a rock band, ooh, a rock band
She changed her appearance and started playing in a rock band.


Saw her in the paper
Heard about her in the news.


Tried so hard to hate her
Initially disliked her for whatever reason.


It's just I'd rather see the movie, it'd move me
Would rather observe from a distance rather than get too involved emotionally.


Autographs and spotlights
People are paying attention to her and wanting her signature.


Makeup under hot lights
She's performing and wearing makeup under bright, hot lights.


Girls who stand in line to see her wanna be her
Fans idolize her and want to be like her.


Stalkers in the trees and, cameras smashed to pieces
Some people are going too far in their admiration for her, causing destruction in the process.


All she wanted was a pon- just a pony
At the end of the day, she's just a person with simple desires.


Why you gotta be so proud? I'm the one with lipstick on
Someone is being overly confident, but the singer is the one who stands out in their eyes.


Why you gotta?
Asking why they're behaving this way.


I'm the one with lipstick on
Reiterating the fact that the artist is the one who stands out, despite the other person's behavior.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KI FITZGERALD, ALEXANDER D PAPACONSTANTINOU, NADIR KHAYAT, MATT SCHWARTZ, AEMANDO PEREZ, HEIDI ROJAS, LARS JENSEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Terran Long

I am continually impressed by Imperial Teen

Gustav Sallas

Imperial Teen are a BRILLIANT band they never let you down song after song album after album.

DaLunaticsHaveTakenOverDaAsylum

Love this track from them! Also love that it seems to be some sort of warped tribute to Madonna lol

DaLunaticsHaveTakenOverDaAsylum

@Christina Buck you sure about that? cos the lines "saw her in the paper, tried so hard to hate her, girls who stand in line to see her, WANNABE her" and "Stalkers in the trees and camera smashed to pieces, all she wanted was to GROOVE me just to groove me" seem like pretty obvious references to the 1985 Madonna/Sean Penn media madness to me lol

Nic Lawson

@Christina Buck yep Courtney Love

Christina Buck

Courtney Love actually.

Drew Guttormsen

If anyone out there loves this song and wants to party. Im in Taos.

Karen Baird

😍🥰 love this song late nineties

Nic Lawson

Why ya gotta be so proud? I'm the one with lipstick on...

MakeShift

Wow been a long time!!! :::=^)

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