Tonight,
Pretend you're an acrobat
And you're being thrown
On top of the world

Do you still wish you were beautiful?
Because you will always be beautiful...

Tonight,
Pretend you're a cigarette
And you're being smoked
By a picturesque girl

Do you still wish you were beautiful?
Because you will always be beautiful...

And you will always be beautiful,
You will always be beautiful.


Lyrics submitted by thenightopus

Acrobat Lyrics as written by Scott Cutler Anne Preven

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Acrobat song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

11 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    guys thats all pretty good and yourdramastory, good take on it.

    but, it seems you all only focused on the first part about the acrobat.

    the second part about the ciggarette, leads me to think that its not about what yourdramastory said.

    if it was, the whole song would need to be about an acrobat.

    sorry if you guys think im wrong..

    but i think maybe its about someone who thinks so little of themselves.

    thinking about being an acrobat, being thrown on top of the world, being amazing, flying, being beautiful, the object of attention.

    thinking of being a cigarette, smoked by a picturesque girl. being special in a way, you're in a classic scene, a scene that is so classic it has a sense of beauty to it.

    then its backed up by the do you still wish you were beautiful? as in after thinking of yourself like that, do you still disagree you're not beautiful and not see the beauty inside you?

    and then the coz you will always be beautiful, is saying you're wrong if you dont think that. you are beautiful.

    and the acrobat and smoking lines, is to me representing thinking of yourself in a dfferent way, having confidence. like the old lines about if you're scared, think of yourself as being home safe in a warm bed. or if you're feeling like a loser, think of yourself as a brick wall. i think its saying that.

    sorry if that didnt make sense, but thats my take on it.

    fuckthepainawayxoon March 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    or not. some metaphors were possibly strewn from the circus; expressed in its lingo.
    this is my very specail song.

    shellson July 28, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think the song isnt to do with a circus at all, but more dealing with the harsh nature of life being thown around like an acrobat.

    Puppetton December 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song obviously has nothing to do with the circus aside from the metaphor about being an acrobat. my take on it is that it's about this girl who thinks so little of herself that she throws herself around from guy to guy to make it feel like she's beautiful and wanted. this one guy obviously sees her for her real beauty that she herself doesn't see and doesn't understand why she does that to herself. again, this is just my take on it.

    yourdramastoryon December 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I like yourdramastory's take on this.

    daredevil1on January 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Wow, drama. You have it nailed.

    Puppetton January 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "What dies this song mean to you?"

    A hell of a lot :)

    harriboon June 10, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    sorry, "does"

    harriboon June 10, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "do you still wish you were beautiful? because you will always be beautiful"

    simply beautiful lyrics

    tegan23on January 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is definitely not about a circus. it's two metaphors describing different types of beauty...

    imagine an acrobat soaring through the top of a circus tent. as a kid that's the most amazing beautiful thing, but being the acrobat, you're risking your life, you're living on a limb just to be that center of attention? Do you still want to be beautiful? even if it means always having to be on display? you're always beautiful, no matter what you do.

    think of the cigarette. for a long time, the smoker was a glamourous thing. so many people love cigarettes that they become addicted, but what do they do with them? they smoke them, they use they and they throw them away and let them burn to ash. Do you still wish you were beautiful, even if it meant someone was going to use you for a minute? He's saying you'll always be beautiful, no matter what.

    AMonet27on March 31, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.