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Paperback Head Lyrics

You have to become
What your fans see

Paperback head, you get carried away
Stitch up your spine to keep the suitors away
Must draw your own aid, must sift your affairs
Must frame up...a material girl

Wild fires
You must remit

Can't stand the smoke, pull the sheets down low
Rope up your mind, keep the suitors in line
Must draw your own aid, must sift your affairs
Must frame up...a material girl

A material girl

I gasp like sugar and spice
I gasp like sugar and spice

Who better than you? Better than you
Who better than you? Better than you
Who better than you? Better than you
Who better than you?

A paperback head, you get carried away
Stitch up your spine to keep the suitors away
Can't stand the smoke, pull the sheets down low
Rope up your mind, keep the suitors in line
Must draw your own aid, must sift your affairs
Must frame up...a material girl

A material girl, a material girl
A material girl, a material girl
A material girl, a material girl
A material girl
Song Info
Submitted by
srsizzy On Oct 17, 2009
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19 Meanings

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Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

I don't know about anyone else but I hear, "Must frame UP a material girl."

Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

here is exactly what's in the cd booklet:

You have to become what you fancy. Paperback head, you get carried away. Stitch up your spine to keep the suitors away. Must draw your own aid. Must sift your affairs. Must frame up a material girl. Wild fires, you must remit. Can’t stand the smoke, pull the sheets down low, rope up your mind, keep the suitors in line. I gasp, like sugar and spice, who better than you?

Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

I interpret this song to be about being/becoming/staying a role model. Like; not making an ass of yourself when stuff goes bad - particularly in front of people you're not really close too- and trying to deal with things in a more "appropriate matter" than what seems natural to you. And also having a hard time with being a role model.

Also it's also got, with 'material girl', well - it's like they're saying it's unrealistic (to be a perfect person/material girl") and also that it's not necessarily the "right" thing to do- it's what the standard or cultural ideal is. Because material is what's also thought of as fake, not meaningful.

But that's if it's about their point of view (I think someone said Sara wrote it, but I've also heard they both wrote it too - so I've said they).

My Interpretation
Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

I think the key to understand this song is: a paperback head that has to frame up a material girl. Paperbacks are cheap version of books compared to a hard cover book. (Paperback editions of books are issued when a publisher decides to release a book in a low-cost format. Cheaper paper, glued bindings, and the lack of a hard cover contribute to the lower cost of paperbacks. Paperbacks can be the preferred medium when a book is not expected to be a major seller or where the publisher wishes to release a book without putting forth a large investment. Examples include many novels, and newer editions or reprintings of older books.) I think this song is about having a paperback head / mindset but having the needs of a material girl. Then this song could mean two things: 1) You/ (the singer itself) are yourself a material girl. A paperback head but the body/ needs of a material girl. 2) You want to be in a relationship with a material girl So you need to “frame up a material girl”. This could fit with the song referencing to material girl of Madonna. Which is basically a song about how a material girl only dates “material” boys. Indications for these interpretation are also you have to become what you fancy. The album is also Sainthood where you try to work/ devote yourself to change/ to be better.

  • I gasp like sugar and spine might be about the difficulty to resists the actual needs of being a material girl and to ask who is better at resisting this needs of being a material girl.
  • I gasp in my needs ,who is better than you paperback head  who is better than me as a partner?
  • Paperback head you got carried away, paperback head you spend too much
  • Paperback head you got carried away: paperback mind set you had it wrong
  • Stitch up your spine to: means become a hardcover book to keep the suitors ( the love rivals) away
  • Stich up your spine to keep the suitors away in combination with draw your own aid might also mean you have to become a hard cover in order to not have to rely on others financially (suitors).
My Interpretation
Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

"You must draw your own day, must sift your offense (?)"

^ this line is definitely wrong. thought maybe "draw your own name," but it's not name. I don't know.

Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

Opening line: "You have to become what your fans see"

Think this might've been one of Sara's Britney-influenced writing sessions.

Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

definitely saying "you must draw your own name", I hear the m sound pretty clearly some of the times. and possibly "you must sift your affairs"?

i hear affairs.

Not Valid

name makes more sense, so I changed it, but I don't really hear the "m" at all, especially in Tegan's (lower) voice.

Not Valid

I don't hear it much either..but I hear Sara saying it the first time..hmm...

Not Valid
Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

"you have to become what you fancy" ?

I'm with you

Not Valid

yeah, considering this is what I first heard, I'm changing it back. I hear that too.

Not Valid
Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

must draw your own aid

and must frame UP a material girl

oh, aaaaaid..that makes sense xD this one's been bothering me!

Not Valid
Cover art for Paperback Head lyrics by Tegan and Sara

and, if anyone has an interpretation of this one, i'd certainly be interested to hear it :)