Raised in upstate New York, Del Rey moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a music career. After numerous projects, including her self-titled debut studio album, Del Rey's breakthrough came in 2011 with the viral success of her single "Video Games"; she subsequently signed a recording contract with Polydor and Interscope. She achieved critical and commercial success with her second album, Born to Die (2012), which contained the sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness". Del Rey's third album, Ultraviolence (2014), featured greater use of guitar-driven instrumentation and debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200. Her fourth and fifth albums, Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017), saw a return to the stylistic traditions of her earlier releases, while her critically acclaimed sixth album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), explored soft rock. Her next studio albums, Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, followed in 2021. Her ninth studio album, “Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” was released on all platforms March 24th 2023. It includes singles like the title track - "Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd", "A&W", and "The Grants".
Del Rey has collaborated on soundtracks for visual media; in 2013, she wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed musical short Tropico and released "Young and Beautiful" for the romantic drama The Great Gatsby. In 2014, she recorded "Once Upon a Dream" for the dark fantasy adventure film Maleficent and the self-titled theme song for the biopic Big Eyes. Del Rey collaborated with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus on "Don't Call Me Angel" for the action comedy Charlie's Angels (2019), which peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, Del Rey published the poetry and photography collection Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass (2020).
She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Brit Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for six Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Variety honored her at their Hitmakers Awards for being "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century".
Fordham Road
Lana Del Rey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's a bad neighborhood.
Crack house on the corner,
I know I shouldn't do what isn't good.
The stone Mary in the garden,
She let me know she watchin',
She said I better get walkin',
I don't know what it is,
That I wanna stay.
I don't know what it is,
That makes me feel this way.
But I'm not gonna do,
What I hear me say.
I'm just gonna walk,
I'm gonna walk away.
I catch a dollar in the wind,
And I buy a cup of coffee,
And there's a place on Valentine,
That still charge ninety cent.
I keep on walking in the day time ,
And in my eyes are so wide it's night time.
And I like it when it's me at night,
'Cause that's when all the stars come out.
Oh-oh, out, oh-oh.
I don't know what it is,
That I wanna stay.
I don't know what it is,
That makes me feel this way.
But I'm not gonna do,
What I hear me say.
I'm just gonna walk,
I'm gonna walk away.
He's the greatest,
It's the greatest day.
He's the greatest,
It's the greatest day, oh.
But I'm not gonna do,
What I hear me say.
I'm just gonna walk,
I'm gonna walk away.
Lana Del Rey's song "Fordham Road" tells a story of a troubled neighborhood and the struggle to walk away from bad choices. The lyrics depict a bleak scene of a neighborhood with a crack house on the corner and the singer's internal battle to resist the temptation of behaving similarly. Despite the warnings from the stone Mary in the garden, the singer struggles to understand what makes her want to stay in such a dangerous neighborhood.
As she walks the streets, she observes the cheap coffee shops and shops that are still stuck in an older time. This reflects on the idea of nostalgia and questioning why certain things have to change. The lyrics emphasize that the singer is aware of what she needs to do and how she should act but it’s not easy to put those into practice. It’s easy to fall into those old, familiar patterns even in a dangerous environment.
The second half of the song includes the lines, “He's the greatest, it's the greatest day”. The sudden shift of tone indicates that the singer has overcome her struggles and emotions, and it is indeed the greatest day. The song ends with the singer still walking away from the neighborhood, demonstrating the resilience and strength that it takes to move away from bad situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Thirty blocks to Fordham Road,
It's a long walk, but Lana knows she needs to get to Fordham Road.
That's a bad neighborhood.
Fordham Road is a dangerous place to be.
Crack house on the corner,
There's a crack house nearby.
I know I shouldn't do what isn't good.
Lana knows she shouldn't go to Fordham Road.
The stone Mary in the garden,
There's a statue of Mary in the garden.
She let me know she watchin',
Lana feels like the statue is watching her.
She said I better get walkin',
Lana feels like the statue is telling her to leave.
I better walk away.
Lana decides to listen to the statue and leave.
I don't know what it is,
Lana is unsure of her feelings.
That I wanna stay.
She doesn't know why she wants to stay.
That makes me feel this way.
She doesn't know what's causing her emotions.
But I'm not gonna do,
Despite feeling conflicted, Lana knows she won't act recklessly.
What I hear me say.
She won't let her impulses control her actions.
I'm just gonna walk,
Lana decides to leave the situation.
I'm gonna walk away.
She chooses to physically remove herself from the area.
I catch a dollar in the wind,
Lana serendipitously receives a dollar from the wind.
And I buy a cup of coffee,
She uses the money to buy some coffee.
And there's a place on Valentine,
There's a location called Valentine nearby.
That still charge ninety cent.
They charge very little for their items.
I keep on walking in the day time ,
Lana continues to walk throughout the day.
And in my eyes are so wide it's night time.
Lana's eyes are so wide that it makes the daytime look like nighttime.
And I like it when it's me at night,
Lana likes the feeling of being out at night.
'Cause that's when all the stars come out.
She enjoys seeing the stars appear at night.
Oh-oh, out, oh-oh.
Just a repeated sound, without meaning.
He's the greatest,
Lana feels like someone is the greatest.
It's the greatest day.
She's having a great day.
He's the greatest,
Lana continues to feel like someone is the greatest.
It's the greatest day, oh.
She's still enjoying her day.
But I'm not gonna do,
Despite feeling happy, Lana won't forget her earlier resolve.
What I hear me say.
She won't let herself act impulsively.
I'm just gonna walk,
Lana reminds herself she just needs to walk away.
I'm gonna walk away.
She decides to leave the area and stay safe.
Contributed by Connor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stdrum-nb6qr
30 blocks to Fordham Road
That's a bad neighborhood
Crack house on the corner
I know I shouldn't do what it is I could
The stone Mary in the garden
She let me know she watching
She said I better get walking
I better walk away
I don't know why it is that I wanna stay,
I don't know what it is that makes me feel this way,
But I'm not gonna do what I hear me say,
I'm just gonna walk,
I'm gonna walk away.
I catch a dollar in the wind and I buy a cup of coffee,
There's a place on Valentine that still charge ninety cents
I keep on walking in the daytime, and in my eyes it's always nighttime
And I like it when it's me at night
‘Cause that's when all the stars come out
I don't know why it is that I wanna stay,
I don't know what it is that makes me feel this way,
But I'm not gonna do what I hear me say,
I'm just gonna walk,
I'm gonna walk away.
it's the greatest
it's the greatest day
it's the greatest
it's the greatest day
I'm not gonna do what I hear me say,
I'm just gonna walk,
I'm gonna walk away.
@cassiosaurus
Oh to be 17 again, alone in my car and singing "I know I shouldn't do what it is I could" while on my way to do something I should not have been doing... :) this song is so special ❤
@shahzadi.zafira__
I love that! I'm 17 now, maybe I should do that as well. This song is amazing and I've been a Lana stan for a few years now.
@LovelySmile55
same :') im 25 now and it reminds me of university days
@josefinebliss2801
I always forget this one but it's seriously one of her best songs...
@chrisbordere7094
Almost every unreleased sing she has is one of her best songs
@somebodyfaraway
exactly...
@gerardogarcia3378
Honestly its soo good i always come back
@yasminaarbid5727
RIghTT?? Me too😭😭😭
@avamorgan7860
it’s one of my favorites too, especially the part about catching a dollar in the wind :) idk why but i relate to it
@videojunkiegirl
This is pure Lana. I am a huge fan of Lana Del Rey and all the music she is making now, but this is the old school Lizzy Grant that was there from the very beginning. It's so authentic and just makes me smile :) I went to Fordham as well before dropping out after a year to pursue my passion!