Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that

Now you're all gone, got your make-up on and you're not coming back
Can't you come back?

Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that

Now you're all gone, got your make-up on and you're not coming back

Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath
Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath
Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath
Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under my window

Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me
Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me

Park that car, drop that phone
Park that car, drop that phone (dream about me)
Park that car, drop that phone
Park that car, drop that phone (dream about me)
Park that car, drop that phone

Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Now you're all gone, got your make-up on and you're not coming back


Lyrics submitted by fallacies, edited by krosm, sarahnorthway

Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl Lyrics as written by Charles Ivan Spearin Brendan Canning

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing

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Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl song meanings
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  • +5
    My Interpretation

    The song is simple, in my opinion; a really relatable experience for a lot of people: A relationship is really innocent and close--then people grow up; they change; they grow apart.

    In the speaker's opinion: the other party is growing for the worse--they've become materialistic and shallow; they hide their real self from the world ("make up on" and "bleaching [their] teeth").

    The stanza about the car, phone, and floor: it's symbolic for the other party's materialism--by jettisoning a car, phone, and bed, the other party would be losing objects that now define their life. And by doing that, the party could "dream about" the speaker again (and a simpler time before that materialism).

    And I think that the title is a little tongue-and-cheek in that regard--I think that the "anthem" part of the title suggests how it's supposed to be almost cliche. High School Aged kids lose close friends all of the time as they near adulthood, and a common statement will be "oh, so-and-so was once a really close friend, but they have changed so much!"

    This song is about wanting that other person to miss your lost-friendship too ("dream about me").

    Also, there is nothing in the song to suggest it is about a romantic-relationship; it might be, but I almost believe it is about a platonic friendship (two girls, maybe). We are just conditioned to think of songs as being about romance before we really look at them closely.

    u2dyon August 23, 2012   Link

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