Oh No!

It reminds me of someone who is so obsessed with trying to become what society expects them to be- perfect and succesful- that they wind up loosing track of reality and becomming fake. The girl in the song sounds like she is trying to convince herself that she is happy and that her life is perfect.

Don't do love, don't do friends I'm only after success Don't need a relationship I'll never soften my grip

-It sounds like she is denying that she needs anyone but herself and her success. Maybe it was just the way she sand it but she almost sounded sarcastic.-

Don't want cash, don't want car Want it fast, want it hard Don't need money, don't need fame I just want to make a change I just wanna change (x4)

-I almost got the impression here that she was sort of bored with her life ("wanting a chance"), so in order to cure her boredom, she changed her personality. She pretends that she doesnt care about relationships with people and only cares about success.-

CHORUS: I know exactly what I want and who I want to be I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no

-I feel like this describes her trying to acheive her changed personality (acheiving whatever success she is hoping for). By becmoming a self-fulfilled prophecy, she is becomming what she expected herself to be by forcing herself to change-

One track mind, one track heart If I fail, I'll fall apart Maybe it is all a test Cause I feel like I'm the worst So I always act like I'm the best

-She has now become obsessed with acting this way, and she has put so much effort into it that she knows that she will fall apart if she fails. She has doubts about herself, despite what she said in the first section, because she is not being herself. Consequently, she asks even faker trying to prove that she is confident and doesnt care what people thing-

If you are not very careful Your possessions will possess you TV taught me how to feel Now real life has no appeal It has no appeal (x4)

-This made me think of how she tried to mirror herself based on societies expectations of her, but knows that this is not herself. However, she feels as if her actual personality wouldnt be as good as others' expectations of her-

CHORUS (x2)

I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly, I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly I'm gonna fail, gonna die, die, die, die

CHORUS (x2)

Da-da-dum... Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no

Idk if this is the legit meaning, this is just my personal interpretation.

This is JUST my viewpoint. I think it's about a person who has a inferior complex. She/he feels that she's the worst - she lacks of confidence and maybe even hates herself. So she has to act aggressively and like she's "the best", that's her defense. . On outside, she looks like she's strong-willed, has lot of confidence etc. ("I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly") but in her mind, she thinks ("I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna die.") She doesn't want to be close to anyone, ("Don't do love, don't do friends..") because she has to be strong and independent, her own 'self-fulfilled prophecy.' If she fails, she's going to break apart, 'cause she's to be perfect, she doesn't want to show her weakness. She doesn't want people to notice, that in fact, she's weak and helpless. Because then she's nobody.

I seem to have a different interpretation than most people so here's my two cents:

Don't do love, don't do friends I'm only after success Don't need a relationship I'll never soften my grip

Don't want cash, don't want car Want it fast, want it hard Don't need money, don't need fame I just want to make a change I just wanna change[...]

Unlike many others I do not see this song as being about a misguided pursuit of success. I feel that Oh no! is about personal growth and mastery. The subject is eschewing romantic relationships or focusing their life around friendships so that they can pursue mastery. This makes sense in the context of many creative arts such as writing, singing, acting, performing, dancing, painting, etc. in which it is next to impossible to start a career without a high degree of proficiency. (Note that it's not that the subject doesn't have or want friends, just that it's not a priority.) The 2nd stanza further suggests the song is about personal growth and fulfillment by denying external rewards (fame, cars, money...) as motivating factors.

I know exactly what I want and who I want to be I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no

The subject knows what they want (mastery and/or fulfillment) and who they want to be as a person but their life circumstances or lack of experience are preventing them from realizing their desire. The subject 'walk[s] and talk[s] like a machine' because they are in survival mode. They are stuck waiting, trying to reach a point where they can get one step closer to their goal. The self-fulfilling prophecy might refer to the subject believing they are destined for greatness, or at least telling other people they are, even if they don't believe it themselves, all while continuing to work toward that goal.

One track mind, one track heart If I fail, I'll fall apart Maybe it is all a test 'Cause I feel like I'm the worst So I always act like I'm the best

The subject affirms (as suggested earlier in the song) that they are singularly focused on the pursuit of their goal. Their circumstances and barriers to their success feel like a test. Despite their best efforts, as with most creative endeavors, the subject experiences intense feelings of self-doubt and questions whether they are even capable of success while pushing forward and putting on a strong front.

If you are not very careful Your possessions will possess you TV taught me how to feel Now real life has no appeal It has no appeal[...]

Possessions require time and money. If you aren't careful possessions can easily become huge time and money sinks (movies, games, collections, luxury goods) and they can tie you to a place. Having fewer possessions makes it easier to move and travel. If you own a house or a lot of stuff it's very easy to let your desire to keep your possessions influence your decisions. All of which relates to opportunities or detract focus on pursuing the subject's goals. 'TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal' I take to mean that TV is either serving as a means of escapism or that witnessing others who had accomplished their goals has made the subject's life feel bland by comparison.

I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly, I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly I'm gonna fail, gonna die, die, die, die

The final unique stanza presents a make or break mentality. Either the subject will succeed and feel as though they have been set free, or failure will crush their spirit since the subject has devoted so much of their life to pursuing their goal that it has become their identity. Failure would essentially = the death of their identity. The final repeating chorus line kind of reaffirms the subject's current situation at the time of the song, knowing where they want to go but not yet being able to reach it. The "oh no" part of the chorus could be a lament of the subject's current situation. Alternatively if the self-fulfilling prophecy is reversed so to speak, as in "I'm never going to make it" the repeating "Oh no" also makes sense.

Thoughts?

my favorite song on the album. i love it. marina is a genius

It's like Mowgli's Road part II.

IMO:

A person Lives by the mantra that they will become successful. They swear off worldly possessions despite their longings, and they strive to change themselves to be 'better.' They're acting like a machine, and become what they aspired to. They still work hard, but they're racked with self doubt. They can not enjoy life because they cannot hold possessions and have been warped by television. Self doubt, self doubt, self doubt.

Basically, it's an identity crisis.

Ok, I'm an aspiring writer and this is EXACTLY how I feel right now. I KNOW what this song means: It is simply feeling really ruthless and determined about getting what you're working towards. It when you've told everyone around you that you're going to be successful one day and you'll go to any extremes to prove yourself right.

One track mind, one track heart If I fail, I'll fall apart

I'm so desperate to make my book as good as possible. I WANT that critical and commercial success and I would feel like life has passed me by if I don't get this done WELL in the next few years.

Maybe it is all a test Cause I feel like I'm the worst So I always act like I'm the best

You have to improve your writing skills over time. Mine are pretty mediocre right now and I'm just trying to get better but I keep telling myslef, one day I'll be great and everyone will be in awe of me particularly because I'm so young.

TV taught me how to feel Now real life has no appeal It has no appeal

When I see someone like say, Stephen King in an interview I think that I want tot be just like that. I want that fame soon. I am desperate.

I agree with all opinions on this song as being plausible and making sense. I actually think the singer in this song probably wrote this song before she had become successful, as she was starting out in her career, as she is still relatively new and I think it describes how her aspirations have been formed by the surrounding world but I don't agree it's an identity crisis. I think quite the opposite that she is so happy in her fame, she could have all the possessions she wants, but she is on those silver screens now herself, there is definately a sadness and I think that she has built herself up in prior years to accept that fame is not what would bring her happiness but fulfilling her career as an artist, doing something she loved, and fame just comes with it. To make it big in industries like this you need to appeal to the masses but this is her work, and has been for years, and as for stuff about love and friends, most artists are lonely and that's not always because they need to be, sometimes they are just introverted and have little luck and/ or interest in these areas, and like everyone else will have tried them but gone through mere transitions with them not solidity. I actually find this song really liberating, i think it's just about a normal girl who wants to sing and occasionally play a piano in front of a crowd, and make a lot of albums, and make money from it. I don't think she aspired for it because she was fame or money hungry though, and i think she is basically saying that. it'sa a thin line between introvert and extrovert, because a lot of artists don't seem to make friends or keep relationships easily but they sure don't mind telling an entire room of strangers that this is who they are! fascinating. I think she is also saying how things like tv can actually detract you from your dream which can be confusing if your dreams involve stardom. a lot of us are creative but we'd be mad to not turn that from a hobby to a living, and if you get chances you should take them and Marina did, and that's why I love her and I'm glad she doesn't care what people think or she'd make different music, and can't appeal to everyone. I would sure as hell sign a record tomorrow and try and make the songs I thought were the least accessible simply because I wouldn't want a big fan base because they would be listening to Rhianna and shit

I believe the song is about wanting to suceed and change things yet at the same time becoming what you were originally against ("I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy"). You let your need to suceed take over your life while everything else takes a backseat ("Don't do love, don't do friends/I'm only after success/Don't need a relationship/I'll never soften my grip") so when you lose you have nothing left ("One track mind one track heart/If I fail I'll fall apart").

In the middle it adresses that things like the media have an infuence on us, that they impose a way of thinking and feeling ("TV taught me how to feel/Now real life has no appeal"). How do you truly know what is your own opinion and what you have been influenced to believe? Are the things to believe in as right as you once thought they were?

Which leads to the moral dilema; do you stick to your morals and fail or sacrafice what you stood for so your efforts don't go to waste? Either way you'll somehow lose ("I'm gonna live/I'm gonna fly/I'm gonna fail/I'm gonna die"). At the end when the word die is repeated it could possibly be a hint that the person has chosen to hold to their guns even if it crushes them.

I think that the song is about someone has made themselves as described in the lyrics, by telling themselves that they are like that. The first verse is like a collection of mantras, all beginning with 'don't' especially the second part of the verse, which sounds like a chant. (don't want cash, don't want car; don't need money don't need fame). The Chorus is more assertion that the speaker is right in their actions. (I know exactly what I want and who I want to be) and they call themselves a 'machine' to show that they can do this because they're almost programmed to do it. The speaker then says how they predicted this would happen, and because they did, they made it happen (I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy) Then they feel some fear of this life because it sounds too easy to work. (oh, oh no, oh no ,oh no oh) The second verse is the speaker telling themselves why they can't get scared because they might fail and they don't have a backup. (One-track mind; if I fail I'll fall apart). Then they explain that they are never happy with their intelligence/skill, so always try even harder (I feel like I'm the worst so I always act like I'm the best). They also wonder if this is a test, in the sense that people who pass it will achieve great success. In the second part of this verse the speaker seems to be warning the audience about material possessions, and teaching people makes the speaker feel experienced, and they go on to explain their experience of it. (The entirety of the second part). The speaker says that 'real life has no appeal', which is explaining why they 'walk and talk like a machine', and also makes the speaker feel confident that they don't need to waste time doing 'normal' things, and can dedicate all their time to work on their career, sort of another self-assurance. The middle-eight (or whatever its called) is the fear that this path will either turn out very good or very bad, and then they go back to the chorus, which is to remind the speaker that they have it all worked out.

So in conclusion the song is about hard-working people who doubt themselves and miss normal life sometimes. Correct me if you have any arguments to what I've said.