Plastic Rainbow
Marina & the Diamonds Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I have let you melt me down
Into a plastic rainbow
And I have left myself to hang
In a halloween sky

I let you tattoo a frown
Onto a face of white snow
Now I see footprints of a man
Running through my eyes

Do I despise these perfect lies
I tell myself each night and day?
Go kiss by blackened heart goodbye
I'm running out of things to play

Hey, see I need to forget
That I've become a plastic rainbow
And I'm melting in the sun
And I have fallen from the sky
In a million multi-coloured lies

I've had enough of your ideals, ideals
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah, yeah-eh-eh-eah
Ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh

I'm gonna break her like a Barbie Doll
Push her face down in the dirt
Blue Maybelline mascara
Is running down my favourite shirt

And whoever thought that messing with me
Was ever gonna hurt?
With plastic swords, too many times
In black suspenders and her mini-skirts

Do I despise these perfect lies
I tell myself each night and day?
Go kiss by blackened heart goodbye
I'm running out of things to play

Hey, see I need to forget
That I've become a plastic rainbow
And I'm melting in the sun
And I am falling from the sky
In a million multi-coloured lies

I've had enough of your ideals, ideals
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah, yeah-eh-eh-eah
Ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh, ehh

Yeah, I became a plastic rainbow
Yeah, I fell from the sky
In a million multi-coloured lies
Your commerce helped for a while
But now all I seem to do is smile




Smile, smile, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah
Do I, I, smile?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Plastic Rainbow" by Marina & the Diamonds highlight the impact of societal pressure on individuality and self-esteem. The song portrays the singer's struggle to maintain their authentic self, represented by a white snow face, in the midst of external pressures that have molded them into a "plastic rainbow." The vivid imagery of melting and falling from the sky in "multi-colored lies" emphasizes the singer's loss of identity and the disconnection between their true self and the persona they have adopted to fit in with societal ideals. The mention of Halloween and the desolate feeling in the "blackened heart" also contribute to the hauntingly introspective nature of the song.


The second stanza introduces a separate character with whom the singer seems to have a contentious relationship. The imagery of breaking a Barbie doll and pushing her face down in the dirt conveys a sense of aggression and frustration towards this person. Additionally, the singer's knowledge that "whoever thought that messing with me / Was ever gonna hurt?" implies a sense of confidence in their unique self that contrasts with the insecurity expressed in the first stanza. The repeated refrain of "I've had enough of your ideals" highlights the singer's rejection of societal norms and pressures.


Overall, "Plastic Rainbow" is a poignant commentary on the impact of societal expectations on the individual psyche. The lyrical imagery and emotive vocal performance add depth to the song's message and evoke a strong sense of introspection.


Line by Line Meaning

I have let you melt me down
I allowed you to change my true nature


Into a plastic rainbow
Into something superficial and fake


And I have left myself to hang
And I've exposed myself to ridicule


In a halloween sky
In a world full of illusions


I let you tattoo a frown
I gave you the power to make me unhappy


Onto a face of white snow
Onto my pure and innocent image


Now I see footprints of a man
Now I see the damage you've caused


Running through my eyes
Written all over me and affecting how I see the world


Do I despise these perfect lies
Do I hate the lies I tell myself to justify staying with you


I tell myself each night and day?
The lies I tell myself to avoid facing the truth


Go kiss by blackened heart goodbye
I'm finally done with you and your dark intentions


I'm running out of things to play
I can't keep pretending anymore


Hey, see I need to forget
I realize I need to move on and forget about you


That I've become a plastic rainbow
That I've lost my true colors and become fake


And I'm melting in the sun
I'm breaking down under the pressure


And I have fallen from the sky
I've hit rock bottom


In a million multi-coloured lies
In a sea of lies


I've had enough of your ideals, ideals
I'm done with your values and expectations


I'm gonna break her like a Barbie Doll
I'm going to hurt her badly


Push her face down in the dirt
Humiliate her and make her feel small


Blue Maybelline mascara
Her tears under her makeup


Is running down my favourite shirt
Her sadness is affecting me too


And whoever thought that messing with me
And whoever thought they could play with fire


Was ever gonna hurt?
Did they not see the consequences coming?


With plastic swords, too many times
With meaningless confrontations


In black suspenders and her mini-skirts
In her provocative outfit


Yeah, I became a plastic rainbow
Yes, I lost my originality and became fake


Your commerce helped for a while
Your materialism distracted me for a moment


But now all I seem to do is smile
But now, I'm done pretending and I'm genuinely happy


Smile, smile, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah
I'm finally free and embracing my true self


Do I, I, smile?
Am I, truly, smiling now?




Contributed by Landon A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Nadia Cox

those seven dislikes were probably Marina on seven different accounts

Stream Born to Die!!!

Marina has 15 accs now wow!!

TheMurrmursonbottle

I think she thinks that we don’t like it too - foolish beautiful woman. I guess a lot of singers probably don’t like their first songs.

Nadia Cox

+CallibriCat look up "Marina and the diamonds Rolling Stones interview"

alessandra marie

+CallibriCat I've seen her say that quite a few times lol

bella price

+Plastic Dinosaurs when did she say that?

2 More Replies...

sara jessica

This is the first song she ever wrote!

Christos Mavris

@Hysterics Yes

Hysterics

OMG IS IT REALLY?

Enrique Marshall

Can we discuss this was the first song she wrote and it literally still sounds so great???

More Comments

More Versions