Girl Anachronism
The Dresden Dolls Lyrics


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You can tell
From the scars on my arms
And the cracks in my hips
And the dents in my car
And the blisters on my lips
That I'm not the carefullest of girls

You can tell
From the glass on the floor
And the strings that're breaking
And I keep on breaking more
And it looks like I am shaking
But it's just the temperature

And then again
If it were any colder I could disengage
If I were any older I could act my age
But I don't think that you'd believe me

It's not the way
I'm meant to be
It's just the way
The operation made me

And you can tell
From the state of my room
That they let me out too soon
And the pills that I ate
Came a couple years too late
And I've got some issues to work through

There I go again
Pretending to be you
Make believing
That I have a soul beneath the surface
Trying to convince you
It was accidentally on purpose

I am not so serious
This passion is a plagiarism
I might join your century
But only on a rare occasion

I was taken out
Before the labor pains set in and now
Behold the world's worst accident
I am the girl anachronism

And you can tell
By the red in my eyes
And the bruises on my thighs
And the knots in my hair
And the bathtub full of flies
That I'm not right now at all

There I go again
Pretending that I'll fall
Don't call the doctors
'Cause they've seen it all before
They'll say just

Let her crash
And burn
She'll learn
The attention just encourages her

And you can tell
From the full-body cast
That you're sorry that you asked
Though you did everything you could
Like any decent person would

But I might be catching so don't touch
You'll start believing
You're immune to gravity and stuff
Don't get me wet
Because the bandages will all come off

And you can tell
From the smoke at the stake
That the current state is critical
Well it is the little things, for instance

In the time it takes to break it
She can make up ten excuses
Please excuse her for the day
It's just the way the medication makes her

I don't necessarily believe there is a cure for this
So I might join your century but only as a doubtful guest
I was too precarious removed as a caesarian
Behold the worlds worst accident

I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism

I am the girl
I am the girl




I am the girl
I am the girl anachronism

Overall Meaning

The Dresden Dolls' "Girl Anachronism" is a haunting ballad about the struggles of mental illness and the feeling of being out of place within society. The lyrics express a heightened level of self-awareness, as the singer points out physical and emotional scars that society often shuns, blurring the line between internal struggle and outward expression. The chorus highlights the disconnection between the singer's true self and the persona she presents to the world, as she struggles to convince others that she is someone she is not, a sentiment that is echoed in the line "It's not the way I'm meant to be, it's just the way the operation made me."


The second verse touches on themes of self-destruction and addiction, with lines about breaking strings and blisters on the singer's lips. The bridge explores the idea of aging and societal expectations, with the singer longing for the ability to act her age, but feeling as though society doesn't take her seriously because of her struggles. The final verse delves into the aftermath of a breakdown, with the singer acknowledging the impact it has had on both her physical and mental health.


Line by Line Meaning

You can tell From the scars on my arms And the cracks in my hips And the dents in my car And the blisters on my lips That I'm not the carefullest of girls
My body and belongings show that I am not the most cautious person.


You can tell From the glass on the floor And the strings that're breaking And I keep on breaking more And it looks like I am shaking But it's just the temperature
My actions appear erratic, but it's just due to the temperature, and I am continuously breaking things.


And then again If it were any colder I could disengage If I were any older I could act my age But I don't think that you'd believe me
I can't disengage nor act my age, although I could if the temperature were colder or if I were older.


It's not the way I'm meant to be It's just the way The operation made me
My behavior isn't natural, but it's because of the operation that was performed on me.


And you can tell From the state of my room That they let me out too soon And the pills that I ate Came a couple years too late And I've got some issues to work through
My messy room indicates they let me go too soon after I took the pills a few years late, and I've got problems to confront.


There I go again Pretending to be you Make believing That I have a soul beneath the surface Trying to convince you It was accidentally on purpose
I pretend to be somebody else, convincing you that my passion isn't a copy, but it was intended to be an accident.


I am not so serious This passion is a plagiarism I might join your century But only on a rare occasion
My passion is a copy, and I'm only willing to join your era infrequently.


I was taken out Before the labor pains set in and now Behold the world's worst accident I am the girl anachronism
I was born before my birth pains started, so I am the world's worst accident and girl from another time.


And you can tell By the red in my eyes And the bruises on my thighs And the knots in my hair And the bathtub full of flies That I'm not right now at all
My physical appearance demonstrates that I'm not in the right state of mind.


There I go again Pretending that I'll fall Don't call the doctors 'Cause they've seen it all before They'll say just Let her crash And burn She'll learn The attention just encourages her
I pretend to be unstable, but the doctors have seen it before, and attention just makes me worse, so let me fall.


And you can tell From the full-body cast That you're sorry that you asked Though you did everything you could Like any decent person would
My injuries demonstrate that you regret asking about me, but you did your best, like an ethical person should.


But I might be catching so don't touch You'll start believing You're immune to gravity and stuff Don't get me wet Because the bandages will all come off
I might be contagious, so don't touch me, or you'll start believing that you're invincible. Don't get me wet because my bandages will come off.


And you can tell From the smoke at the stake That the current state is critical Well it is the little things, for instance In the time it takes to break it She can make up ten excuses Please excuse her for the day It's just the way the medication makes her
The smoke at the stake bears witness to my critical condition, and it's the small details that are worth mentioning, for instance, how quickly I come up with excuses. Please forgive me, it's due to my medication.


I don't necessarily believe there is a cure for this So I might join your century but only as a doubtful guest I was too precarious removed as a caesarian Behold the worlds worst accident I am the girl anachronism I am the girl anachronism I am the girl anachronism I am the girl anachronism I am the girl
I don't think there is a cure for me, so I'll only join your era as an uncertain guest. I was delivered by Caesarean section, making me the world's worst accident, and I am the girl anachronism.




Lyrics ยฉ Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amanda Palmer

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@angethedumbone

@Bailey Moran Exactly this.
And how bipolar disorder damages the brain, either people think we're insane, that we don't deserve respect, or that we're amazing to do so much in a manic state. Nobody really noticed or cared until I got so psychotic of the mania that I was convinced there would be a war soon and i was the only one seeing the signs,
While this sounds funny now, I was so stressed. Couldn't eat, sleep, or even rest.
Suddenly the gifted kid was just a nuisance.
My family still thinks I'll get better from it somehow.
Even though I eat so much medicine to just be able to not go into excessive mania, the depression is too much for me.
I can't eat antidepressants, it makes me spiral like a mad man, so I'm either very dull, emotionless or I'm depressed.
I miss mania sometimes because of the showers of praise I got for my art. Now I'm just another medicated nutcase. At least that's how I feel.
"The attention just encourages her".
I just wish someone would understand how hard bipolar disorder is in my close relationships.
This song kind of represent that for me.
"Look at me! I'm insane. Of course these big words are just me copying you, the sane and smart ones."
Sorry for a rant.



@Oliviacaptain

You can tell
From the scars on my arms
And the cracks in my hips
And the dents in my car
And the blisters on my lips
That I'm not the carefullest of girls

You can tell
From the glass on the floor
And the strings that're breaking
And I keep on breaking more
And it looks like I am shaking
But it's just the temperature

And then again
If it were any colder I could disengage
If I were any older I could act my age
But I don't think that you'd believe me

It's not the way
I'm meant to be
It's just the way
The operation made me

And you can tell
From the state of my room
That they let me out too soon
And the pills that I ate
Came a couple years too late
And I've got some issues to work through

There I go again
Pretending to be you
Make believing
That I have a soul beneath the surface
Trying to convince you
It was accidentally on purpose

I am not so serious
This passion is a plagiarism
I might join your century
But only on a rare occasion

I was taken out
Before the labor pains set in and now
Behold the world's worst accident
I am the girl anachronism

And you can tell
By the red in my eyes
And the bruises on my thighs
And the knots in my hair
And the bathtub full of flies
That I'm not right now at all

There I go again
Pretending that I'll fall
Don't call the doctors
'Cause they've seen it all before
They'll say just

Let her crash
And burn
She'll learn
The attention just encourages her

And you can tell
From the full-body cast
That you're sorry that you asked
Though you did everything you could
Like any decent person would

But I might be catching so don't touch
You'll start believing
You're immune to gravity and stuff
Don't get me wet
Because the bandages will all come off

And you can tell
From the smoke at the stake
That the current state is critical
Well it is the little things, for instance

In the time it takes to break it
She can make up ten excuses
Please excuse her for the day
It's just the way the medication makes her

I don't necessarily believe there is a cure for this
So I might join your century but only as a doubtful guest
I was too precarious removed as a caesarian
Behold the worlds worst accident

I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism
I am the girl anachronism

I am the girl
I am the girl
I am the girl
I am the girl anachronism



All comments from YouTube:

@parushashridhar3189

This song wakes up something inside me that ideally shouldn't be touched.

@LillithJainSumner

explain

@spitkitten

no I totally get this. that's supposed to happen, I think :)

@chrisrapelstapskirappe5367

Yes it should it's something Primal something fierce

@punksiou8890

vagi-

@chrisrapelstapskirappe5367

If this song comes on while i am driving. I have to pull over and slam my head against the steering wheel until its over

11 More Replies...

@-_k1tt3n_-74

As someone with depression, social anxiety, people-pleasing actions, and a savior complex.. This makes me feel understood and uncomfortable at the same time and I love it.

@Mr.manchester100

Bro really got the mental illness package lol

@nobbynoris

What a fantastic video.

Punk's not dead. It just learned a few instruments.

@lupeortega3869

hahaha yup

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