Born in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York, she first participated in the MSG Varsity Talent Show during her junior year of high school and subsequently rose to prominence in 2012 after appearing on the American television vocal talent show The Voice. She auditioned singing Britney Spears's Toxic and made it to the Top 6 before being eliminated in the fifth week of live shows.
Immediately following her departure from the show, she began independent work on original material. She began recording for a (later-scrapped) EP in 2013 with acts such as John Feldmann and Doveman. Eventually becoming tired of that sound and wanting to experiment, she wrote "Dollhouse" at a session with Kinetics & One Love in September of that year. This song kickstarted the Cry Baby theme/sound.
Signing to Atlantic Records soon after, Melanie released her debut EP, Dollhouse (2014). The EP had 2 singles, Dollhouse and Carousel, and included songs that were recorded during sessions for her then-upcoming debut.
Martinez later released her debut studio album, Cry Baby (2015), which debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. It currently has over 4.1 billion streams on Spotify and all of the album tracks are certified by the RIAA.
Martinez released her second studio album “K-12” along with an hour-and-a-half-long film with the same name on September 6, 2019, featuring hits such as "Show & Tell," "Nurse's Office," and "Strawberry Shortcake". She then released the accompanying After School EP on September 25, 2020. The deluxe album currently has over 1.6 billion streams on Spotify.
In 2020, “Play Date” gained major popularity due to trends on TikTok along with many other songs after it. Due to its success, “Play Date” now currently has 700+ million streams on Spotify, making it their most streamed song to date.
Martinez's third studio album PORTALS was released on March 31, 2023, with the deluxe version being released on April 5th, 2023.
Tag You're It
Melanie Martinez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boy, you had your eye out for a little
"I'll cut you up and make you dinner
You've reached the end, you are the winner"
Rolling down your tinted window
Driving next to me real slow, he said
"Let me take you for a joyride
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand, pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Can anybody hear me when I'm hidden underground?
Can anybody hear me? Am I talking to myself?
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
Little bit of poison in me
I can taste your skin in my teeth
"I love it when I hear you breathing
I hope to God you're never leaving"
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand, pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Can anybody hear me when I'm hidden underground?
Can anybody hear me? Am I talking to myself?
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
Eenie, meenie, miny, mo
Catch your lady by her toes
If she screams, don't let her go
Eenie, meenie, miny, mo
Your mother said to pick the very best girl
And I am
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand, pushed me down
Took the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
Running through the parking lot
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
Tag, you're it, tag, you're it
Grabbed my hand, pushed me down
Take the words right out my mouth
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
The lyrics to Melanie Martinez’s song “Tag You’re It” tell a disturbing story of a young girl being pursued and potentially abducted by a predator. The first verse sets the scene with the boy watching the girl through his window and making the chilling statement, “I’ll cut you up and make you dinner.” The second verse depicts the boy attempting to lure the girl into his vehicle with the promise of candy, but she eventually becomes his victim as he chases her through the parking lot and ultimately catches and subdues her.
The lyrics also contain eerie and unsettling lines such as “Little bit of poison in me, I can taste your skin in my teeth” and the counting rhyme of “Eenie, meenie, miny, mo” which adds to the sense of danger and threat throughout the song. The chorus “Tag, you’re it” repeats, almost as a taunt from the predator to his victim, and the bridge highlights the idea of the victim’s potential isolation and desperation for help as she asks if anyone can hear her when she’s hidden.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking at me through your window
He is keeping a watch on me from his window.
Boy, you had your eye out for a little
The boy was waiting for someone to come along.
"I'll cut you up and make you dinner
He is threatening to harm me.
You've reached the end, you are the winner"
He feels victorious by capturing me.
Rolling down your tinted window
He lowers his car's tinted window.
Driving next to me real slow, he said
He drives the car next to me at a slow pace and speaks to me.
"Let me take you for a joyride
He is trying to lure me into his car for a ride.
I've got some candy for you inside"
He is using an enticement of candy to lure me inside his car.
Running through the parking lot
I am trying to escape by running through the parking lot.
He chased me and he wouldn't stop
He is pursuing me relentlessly.
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
He is playing a game where he tags me and declares me 'it.'
Grabbed my hand, pushed me down
He grabs and forces me down.
Took the words right out my mouth
He silences me by not allowing me to speak.
Can anybody hear me when I'm hidden underground?
I am wondering if anyone can hear me when I am in danger.
Can anybody hear me? Am I talking to myself?
I am questioning whether I am delusional or not.
Saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He continues to declare me as 'it.'
He's saying, "Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
He is repeatedly declaring me as 'it' in the game.
Little bit of poison in me
He admits to having dangerous intentions towards me.
I can taste your skin in my teeth
He has made physical contact with me and finds pleasure in it.
"I love it when I hear you breathing
He enjoys hearing me in fear and pain.
I hope to God you're never leaving"
He wishes to keep me in captivity forever.
Eenie, meenie, miny, mo
He is using a popular children's rhyming game to select his next target.
Catch your lady by her toes
He is referring to capturing me by grabbing my feet.
If she screams, don't let her go
He plans to use force to prevent me from escaping.
Your mother said to pick the very best girl
He is mocking the traditional notion of a mother choosing the best girl for her son.
And I am
He has already made his choice and selected me.
Running through the parking lot
I am still trying to escape from him by running.
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
He continues to play the game and declares me as 'it' repeatedly.
Grabbed my hand, pushed me down
He applies physical force to prevent me from escaping.
Take the words right out my mouth
He stops me from speaking or screaming in fear.
Tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it
He repeatedly declares me as 'it' in the game.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Melanie Adele Martinez, Richard Samuel Markowitz, Scott Harris Friedman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aurakitty
on The Sirens
Actually the song is called “milk of the sirens”
Aurakitty
on The Sirens
Drink from the leche of sirens
Summon the sailors in town
Strangle the fear of deciding
Which one's deserving to drown
Engraved in our memory, the harm that was done
Our mothers, the witches they banished and burned
All of our sisters were killed and abused
By sword-swinging men who would always accuse
The worst of a woman who fights for our right
To be where we belong at the front of the line
Tired of silence and being polite
Your legs turn to shimmering scales in the night
Drink from the leche of sirens
Summon the sailors in town
Strangle the fear of deciding
Which ones deserving to drown
Don't feel bad when these fuckers all drown
Let them drown
Let them drown
Let them drown
Tenderness worn on the skin like a dress
Nurture these men, pull them out of their mess
They steal the resources, destroy all the land
Belittle the power of the feminine hand
The milk from the rivers of every moon
Cradle you tight like you're back in the womb
Bury their souls in a cove by the light
Celestial dip all that ego and pride
Drink from the leche of sirens
Summon the sailors in town
Strangle the fear of deciding
Which ones deserving to drown
Let them drown
Let them drown
Let them drown
Nothing wrong with a little havoc
It's fun when shit hits the fan
So guillotine their heads by shouting
Cut 'em off, leave waters red
Nothing wrong with a little havoc
It's fun when shit hits the fan
So guillotine their heads by shouting
Cut 'em off, leave water's red
Nothing wrong with a little havoc (drink from the leche of sirens)
It's fun when shit hits the fan
So guillotine their heads by shouting (summon the sailors in town)
Cut 'em off, leave water's red
Nothing wrong with a little havoc (strangle the fear of deciding)
It's fun when shit hits the fan
So guillotine their heads by shouting (which ones deserving to drown)
Cut 'em off, leave water's red
(Don't feel bad when these fuckers all drown)
Alex
on Pluto
Does't she usually this specific sound when she's in trouble/danger?
LYRICS FOR YOU
on Dollhouse
LYRICS FOR YOU :)
Hey girl, open the walls, play with your dolls
We'll be a perfect family
When you walk away, it's when we really play
You don't hear me when I say,
Mom, please wake up
Dad's with a slut, and your son is smoking cannabis
No one never listens, this wallpaper glistens
Don't let them see what goes down in the kitchen
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
Hey girl, look at my mom, she's got it going on
Ha, you're blinded by her jewelry
When you turn your back she pulls out a flask
And forgets his infidelity
Uh-oh, she's coming to the attic, plastic
Go back to being plastic
No one never listens, this wallpaper glistens
One day they'll see what goes down in the kitchen
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
Hey girl (hey girl, hey girl, hey girl, hey girl)
Hey girl, open your walls, play with your dolls
We'll be a perfect family
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
marleya
on Nurse's Office
she is so beautiful