Teen Idle
Marinaand the Diamonds Lyrics
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I don't know why but I feel conned
I wanna be an idle teen
I wish I hadn't been so clean
I wanna stay inside all day
I want the world to go away
I want blood, guts, and chocolate cake
Yeah, I wish I'd been, I wish I'd been, a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find, I've come alive
I wanna be a virgin pure
A twenty-first century whore
I want back my virginity
So I can feel infinity
I wanna drink until I ache
I wanna make a big mistake
I want blood, guts, and angel cake
I'm gonna puke it anyway
Yeah, I wish I'd been, I wish I'd been, a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find, I've come alive
Come alive, I've come alive
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
I wish I wasn't such a narcissist
I wish I didn't really kiss
The mirror when I'm on my own
Oh God, I'm gonna die alone
Adolescence didn't make sense
A little loss of innocence
The ugliness of being a fool
Ain't youth meant to be beautiful?
Yeah, I wish I'd been, I wish I'd been, a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find, I've come alive
Only to find, I've come alive
Only to find, I've come alive
All our lives
(Feeling super, super, super)
(Feeling super, super, super)
(Feeling super, super, super)
All our lives
In "Teen Idle," Marina Diamandis laments the loss of her teenage years, which she feels she wasted by trying to fit into societal expectations of the "good girl" image. She wants to escape this stifling persona and embrace her rebellious side, embracing her darker desires and making mistakes without fear. She wishes she had been a "teen idle," not worrying about taking life too seriously or trying to be perfect all the time.
The song is filled with contradictions and mixed emotions, showcasing Marina's struggle with her identity and place in the world. She wants to be both a "virgin pure" and a "twenty-first century whore," and longs for the freedom and recklessness of adolescence while also acknowledging the confusion and pain that came with it. She feels that her youth was wasted on pretty lies and the pursuit of false perfection, and that only in death has she truly come alive.
The juxtaposition of the lyrics against the upbeat tempo and catchy melody underscores the melancholy theme of the song. Marina is mourning the loss of her teenage years and the naivete that came with them, but also embracing the idea that it's never too late to come alive and find one's true self.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna be a bottle blonde
I desire to change my hair color and become a bottle blonde
I don't know why but I feel conned
I don't understand why I feel deceived
I wanna be an idle teen
I yearn to become an unproductive teenager
I wish I hadn't been so clean
I regret not having taken more risks earlier in my life
I wanna stay inside all day
I want to remain indoors all day long
I want the world to go away
I desire for the world to vanish
I want blood, guts, and chocolate cake
I crave for decadent and gory pleasures
I wanna be a real fake
I aspire to be an imposter or phony
Yeah, I wish I'd been, I wish I'd been, a teen, teen idle
I regret not having a lazy or unproductive adolescence
Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title
I long to be the popular prom queen competing for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible
I am dissatisfied and resentful with my teenage years spent reading the Bible
Feeling super, super, super suicidal
I feel overwhelmingly depressed and hopeless
The wasted years, the wasted youth
My younger years were squandered and lost
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
The illusions and deceptions of life have been exposed in hindsight
And the day has come where I have died
I have metaphorically 'died' and undergone a significant transformation
Only to find, I've come alive
I have discovered a new sense of vitality and purpose in my life
I wanna be a virgin pure
I desire to regain my lost purity and innocence
A twenty-first century whore
I am disillusioned with modern society's attitudes towards sex and sexuality
I want back my virginity
I wish to undo the consequences of my past decisions and actions regarding sex
So I can feel infinity
I seek to experience the limitless possibilities of life
I wanna drink until I ache
I want to drink excessively until I am in physical pain
I wanna make a big mistake
I have a subconscious desire to mess things up and fail spectacularly
I want blood, guts, and angel cake
I have a morbid fascination with the macabre and the divine
I'm gonna puke it anyway
I acknowledge the futility of indulging in such decadent pleasures
I wish I wasn't such a narcissist
I am aware of my self-absorbed tendencies and regret them
I wish I didn't really kiss
I wish to distance myself from my past romantic relationships
The mirror when I'm on my own
I am reminded of my flaws and insecurities when I look in the mirror alone
Oh God, I'm gonna die alone
I am afraid of eventually dying alone and unloved
Adolescence didn't make sense
My teenage years were confusing and incomprehensible
A little loss of innocence
I experienced a small degree of naivety or purity lost during my youth
The ugliness of being a fool
The unpleasantness of being foolish and uninformed
Ain't youth meant to be beautiful?
Shouldn't one's adolescence be a time of beauty and wonder?
All our lives
Throughout our entire existence
(Feeling super, super, super)
Expressing an extremely intense emotion
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARINA LAMBRINI DIAMANDIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind