The Movielife is a emo band from Baldwin, New York (Long Island). Formed in… Read Full Bio ↴The Movielife is a emo band from Baldwin, New York (Long Island). Formed in 1997, the band put out its first full-length, It's Go Time, in 1999 on Fadeaway Records. By this point, the classic lineup of Vinnie Caruana (vocals), Brandon Reilly (guitar), Alex Amiruddin (guitar), Phil Navetta (bass), and Evan Baken (drums) had coalesced. The band built up a strong local following on the strength the album and their live show, and soon jumped to Revelation Records, releasing This Time Next Year in 2000. Like all subsequent released by the band, the album was produced by Brian McTernan. The band toured hard to support the record, including an appearance at the first Skate and Surf Festival in the spring 2001 and a long national tour support Boysetsfire and the then-unknown Thursday that summer. Having built a more national fanbase, helped along by an appearance on the fourth volume of the ever-popular Emo Diaries series, the band jumped to Drive-Thru Records at the end of the tour, and released an EP, Has A Gambling Problem in the fall. Aided by the single "Walking On Glass", The Movielife spent much of the next year on the road supporting other Drive-Thru acts, including Midtown and, later, New Found Glory. On that New Found Glory tour, the band was involved in a serious van accident in North Dakota, forcing the band off of the road and providing the impetus for the centerpiece of their next full-length. Shortly before the recording of Forty-Hour Train Back to Penn, which was finally released in February 2003, Amiruddin departed and was replaced by Dan Navetta. The band embarked on a headlining tour to support the album. In late summer/early fall of 2003 the band embarked on their final tour playing a slew of $5 shows with supporting acts Fairweather and The Honorary Title. By early 2004, ex-Movielife projects had surfaced, Brandon Reilly fronting Nightmare of You and Vinnie Caruana fronting I Am the Avalanche. The band reunited in December of 2014.

Single White Female
The Movielife Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Leave your fucking friend at the Smithtown mall where she belongs
'cause now she's got the same tattoo as you,
And learning all your songs.
She tries to be like you and everyone can see.
I don't want to see her when I'm on that fucking stage.
So keep her away.
'Cause she steals everything, and you're too blind to see.
If she takes everything, what's left for me?

Can't compete. Got you beat.
Can't compete. Got you beat. She's my queen. She's my everything.
Can't compete. Got you beat. She's my everything.
'Cause she steals everything, and you're too blind to see.
She takes everything, she takes everything, what's left for....
Leave your fucking friend at the Smithtown mall where she belongs
'cause now she's got the same tattoo as you,
And learning all your songs.
She tries to be like you and everyone can see. She's a fake!
I don't want to see her when I'm on that fucking stage.
So keep her away.
'Cause she steals everything, and you're too blind to see.
If she takes everything, what's left for me?
Can't compete. Got you beat.
Can't compete. Got you beat. She's my queen. She's my everything.
Can't compete. Got you beat. She's my everything.

'Cause she steals everything, and you're too blind to see.
She takes everything, she takes everything, what's left for me?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Movielife's "Single White Female" tell a story of a toxic friendship between two women. The singer is frustrated with their friend who is trying too hard to copy them. The friend has even gotten the same tattoo and is learning all of their songs. The singer doesn't want to see the friend when they are performing because it feels like the friend is stealing everything from them. Despite this, the singer's blind loyalty to the friend keeps them from realizing how damaging the friendship is to their own career.

The idea of someone copying you and taking credit for your achievements is a common fear in the music industry, and this song speaks to that fear. It's clear that the singer feels threatened by their friend's actions and is frustrated by their inability to compete. The repetition of "Can't compete. Got you beat." in the song's chorus reinforces this sense of defeat.

The line "She's my queen. She's my everything" is particularly interesting because it suggests that the singer has placed their friend on a pedestal, even though the friend is toxic to their own success. This also highlights how easy it is to become blinded by loyalty in a toxic friendship.

Line by Line Meaning

Leave your fucking friend at the Smithtown mall where she belongs
Get rid of your imitator friend who copies your every move and act, and let her stay where she belongs, which is far from you.

'cause now she's got the same tattoo as you, And learning all your songs.
Your imitator friend is not only copying your style, but also getting the same tattoo as you and learning all your songs to mimic your every move.

She tries to be like you and everyone can see. She's a fake!
It's obvious to everyone that your friend is trying too hard to be like you and her attempt to be like you is nothing but a facade.

I don't want to see her when I'm on that fucking stage. So keep her away.
You don't want to see your imitator friend on stage with you, so make sure she stays away from you and your performances.

'Cause she steals everything, and you're too blind to see.
Your friend is stealing everything from you and you're unable to see it happening.

If she takes everything, what's left for me? Can't compete. Got you beat.
If your imitator friend takes everything you have, there'll be nothing left for you to show, and you wouldn't be able to compete with her because she copied everything from you perfectly.

She's my queen. She's my everything.
Your imitator friend is not only copying you, but she is also your biggest fan and sees you as her queen and everything she wants to be.

She takes everything, she takes everything, what's left for me?
Your friend is continuously copying everything from you and leaving you with nothing unique to show for yourself.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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