Show up in your lace
Drink up little girl
And they will always let you down
Hold your mother’s pearl

Show up in your lace
Up to your cheekbones
Prevention is the only cure
Kiss them through windows
Throw up in your plate

Look angelical
If you sleep before I arrive
I’ll pray for you my girl
A flower on fire
And I will always let you down


Lyrics submitted by thrwmyhrtawy.

Violent Youth Lyrics as written by Ethan Kath Alice Glass

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Violent Youth song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

3 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    fuck yes omg perfect

    thrwmyhrtawy.on November 14, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is called 'Violent Youth' exactly because it pictures how wrong our society is in the way youngsters develop. They're violent as they're self-destructive; doing their best to fit in without ever being understood.

    Show up in your lace

    • Dress up in a provocative way in order to attract males' attention.

    Drink up little girl

    • Get drunk, again. Because that's what all teens do when they're out.

    And they will always let you down

    • What else would you expect under these circumstances besides being let down? You've modeled yourself after them, you've done your best in order to try and fit. However, it hasn't quite worked out for you. At the end of the day, you're still just one lost teen living in a fake world.

    Hold your mother’s pearl

    • Not sure about this line in particular, but I'd assume that what the songwriter meant was a girl doing her best to look good, even if that would mean sneaking into her mother's room for a piece of jewel. Eventually, that will turn out to be her only item to hold on to; her connection to the better past.

    Show up in your lace

    • Do show up in your lace...

    Up to your cheekbones ...but pull it all the way up to your cheekbones. With them being part of your face, this would symbolize protecting your very own self from the people who would want to misuse you. It is also a way to symbolize purity; by pulling your lace that high, you won't be able to show off any piece of skin that would be too much. After all, you're a young girl who's not supposed to dress up so scarcely.

    Prevention is the only cure

    • Prevention is meant here in the sense of the girl preventing herself from being abused/drugged/raped, etc. She's supposed to protect and cherish her innocence, not let it get consumed by society's false norms.

    Kiss them through windows

    • Windows create distance. She's advised to only watch that fake world from her window instead of being part of it. She'd better not kiss them for real but do so through windows.

    Throw up in your plate

    • Don't attend parties in order to throw up after having drunk more than you could possibly handle. Don't go there to vomit after having taken drugs, either. Don't let others get to you while you're vulnerable. So, throw up in your plate instead. That is still ugly but it's also safe. You won't be harming yourself with booze or drugs. That isn't the way to go.

    Look angelical

    • Look the way you actually are. You don't have to fake your own self. You're just as good the way you are without being a slave to modern-day society. A young girl in her early/late teens is supposed to look more innocent than many in fact do.

    If you sleep before I arrive

    • If you've actually come to your senses and decided to stay home with your family for a change...

    I’ll pray for you my girl

    • I'll pay for you to get better, to let go of this fake life. This is not the reality you'd like to be living in for the rest of your life, and I (as a mother/father/etc.) would not want to continue seeing you ruin your life and future in front of my eyes.

    A flower on fire

    • The girl is as pretty as a flower. But she's on fire due to her violent youth. She wants to matter, to be accepted amongst her classmates and friends. She's doing wild stuff outside that are highly likely to be harmful for her.

    And I will always let you down

    • This is a twist in the lyrics, as I'd call it myself. My personal interpretation is that a parent would always let their child down by not allowing them to do certain things such as attending parties. No matter how hard a parent/parent figure or even a friend would try to explain to that teen that he/she might as well not be right in his/her destructive ways, that teen would always turn their back on them feeling misunderstood. Quite often we tend not to appreciate others' help, even more so at such a fragile age.
    ElodieArtouron April 03, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Personally I think this song is about a abusive relationship between an adult and a minor "show up in your lace drink up little girl" He wants her to dress provocatively for him, giving her alcohol / drugs even though she is a "little girl" "Look angelic" I think this again relates to her being young "Kiss them through windows" she's not getting close to anyone to hide this relationship, kissing from a distance "Throw up in your plate" vomiting from the alcohol / drugs? "A flower" also makes her sound young "on fire" I think is due to all that she is going through that is burning her inside There is a constant repeat of being "let down" making this girl seem vulnerable and not able to confide in or rely on anyone I love this song and the voice is interesting

    sighfuluston July 26, 2015   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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.