MAGAZINE
Pedro the Lion Lyrics
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And on the one side
And on the one side
The bad half live in wickedness
And on the other side
And on the other side
The good half live in arrogance
And there's a steep slope
This line is metaphysical
And there's a steady flow
Moving to and fro
Oh look you earned your wings
Are you an angel now
Or a vulture?
Constantly hovering over
Waiting for a big mistake
Oh my God, what have I done?
Wouldn't you love to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
Designed to hide what lies beneath
And I feel the darkness growing stronger
As you cram light down my throat
And how does that work out for you
In your holy quest to be above reproach?
Wouldn't you love to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
Designed to hide what lies beneath
What lies beneath
The lyrics of Pedro the Lion's song Magazine is a commentary on the constant desire to fit in society's unrealistic beauty standards and the hypocrisy of people and institutions who claim moral superiority. The first stanza describes the two sides of the line; the bad half living in wickedness and the good half living in arrogance, depicting that society often labels people as good or bad based on shallow judgments. The metaphysical line represents the barrier that divides those who fit into societal expectations and those who do not. The steep slope and short rope signify how challenging it is to walk on this line, where people are constantly judged and expected to conform to society's standards.
The chorus alludes to the constant pressure to be the perfect human being, the one who would make it to the front cover of a magazine. Still, underneath it all lies a darkness that grows stronger as people strive to fit into the mold of society's expectations, hiding what truly lies beneath. The person speaking in the song is asking whether it is worth it to try to fit in at the expense of their true selves, leading to a conflict between societal standards and personal values.
Overall, Pedro the Lion's Magazine is a scathing critique of the unrealistic beauty standards that society imposes on humans and the hypocrisy of people and institutions that preach moral superiority while hiding their true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
This line is metaphysical
This sentence is not meant to be taken literally, it is a concept
And on the one side
The concept being referred to has two sides
And on the one side
The concept being referred to has two sides
The bad half live in wickedness
One of the two sides represents wickedness
And on the other side
The other side represents something opposite of wickedness
And on the other side
The other side represents something opposite of wickedness
The good half live in arrogance
The opposite of wickedness is arrogance
And there's a steep slope
There is a drastic change or challenge
With a short rope
There are limited resources to overcome the challenges or change
This line is metaphysical
This sentence is not meant to be taken literally, it is a concept
And there's a steady flow
There is a continuous force that moves in opposite directions
Moving to and fro
The forces move back and forth alternatively
Oh look you earned your wings
A person's achievement or success is compared to the attainment of wings
Are you an angel now
The person's achievement refers to their angelic nature
Or a vulture?
The person's achievement is questioned in a negative light
Constantly hovering over
A negative force constantly keeps a watch
Waiting for a big mistake
The negative force waits for a big error or a downfall
Oh my God, what have I done?
A moment of regret or realization for bad actions taken in the past
Wouldn't you love to be
It is desired to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Being on the cover of a magazine is a desirable achievement
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
The standard of physical beauty set by magazines
Designed to hide what lies beneath
The physical beauty hides what is going on internally with a person
And I feel the darkness growing stronger
The negative aspects of life are overshadowing or becoming more dominant
As you cram light down my throat
The person in a position of authority is forcing positivity or optimism
And how does that work out for you
The person is questioning the method of forcing optimism
In your holy quest to be above reproach?
The person in authority believes that presenting a perfect image to society is important
What lies beneath
What is going on internally with a person that is being covered up by external factors
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: DAVID SHANNON BAZAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@VictorSantos-mb2so
This line is metaphysical
And on the one side
And on the one side
The bad half live in wickedness
And on the other side
And on the other side
The good half live in arrogance
And there's a steep slope
With a short rope
This line is metaphysical
And there's a steady flow
Moving to and fro
Oh look you earned your wings
Are you an angel now
Or a vulture?
Constantly hovering over
Waiting for a big mistake
Oh my God, what have I done?
Wouldn't you love to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
Designed to hide what lies beneath
And I feel the darkness growing stronger
As you cram light down my throat
And how does that work out for you
In your holy quest to be above reproach?
Wouldn't you love to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
Designed to hide what lies beneath
What lies beneath
@BradFazner
this song gives me chills every time...i love the drums so much
@benjaminsanders7786
What magazine would that be?
@thricex05
why doesn't this video have more views. david bazan is the greatest.
@VictorSantos-mb2so
This line is metaphysical
And on the one side
And on the one side
The bad half live in wickedness
And on the other side
And on the other side
The good half live in arrogance
And there's a steep slope
With a short rope
This line is metaphysical
And there's a steady flow
Moving to and fro
Oh look you earned your wings
Are you an angel now
Or a vulture?
Constantly hovering over
Waiting for a big mistake
Oh my God, what have I done?
Wouldn't you love to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
Designed to hide what lies beneath
And I feel the darkness growing stronger
As you cram light down my throat
And how does that work out for you
In your holy quest to be above reproach?
Wouldn't you love to be
On the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin and perfect teeth
Designed to hide what lies beneath
What lies beneath
@asaturn
this album (control) is so underrated. the live playing is good but the album is great.
@broken_disco_ball
This needs millions of views. What an incredible performance — and so wonderfully produced video-wise. 👏
@GarrettIsTheDinosaur
David's guitar is gorgeous and I love watching that drummer. Great band.
@jobbailon2951
Simple little masterpiece
@janregular
great musicians! awesome song
@indiecalms
Solid drumming