Selena Gomez

Bad Liar

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Bad Liar Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I was walking down the street the other day
Tryna distract myself
But then I see your face
Oh wait, that's someone else
Tryna play it coy
Tryna make it disappear
But just like the battle of Troy
There's nothing subtle here
In my room there's a king size space
Bigger than it used to be
If you want you can rent that place
Call me an amenity
Even if it's in my dreams

[Pre-Chorus]
Ooh you're taking up a fraction of my mind
Ooooh every time I watch you serpentine

[Chorus]
Oh I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Oh tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Not to think about you
No, no, no, no
Not to think about you
No, no, no, no
Oh I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Oh tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Not to give in to you
No, no, no, no
Not to give in to you
No, no, no, no

[Post-Chorus]
With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar

[Verse 2]
I see how your attention builds
It's like looking in a mirror
Your touch like a happy pill
But still all we do is fear
What could possibly happen next?
Can we focus on the love?
Paint my kiss across your chest
If you're the art, I'll be the brush

[Pre-Chorus]
Ooh you're taking up a fraction of my mind
Ooooh every time I watch you serpentine

[Post-Chorus]
With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar

[Bridge]
And oh baby let's make reality, actuality, a reality
Oh baby let's make reality, actuality, a reality

[Chorus]
Oh, oh, I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Oh tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Not to think about you
No, no, no, no
Not to think about you
No, no, no, no
Oh I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Oh tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
I'm tryin', I'm tryin'
Not to give in to you
No, no, no, no
Not to give in to you
No, no, no, no

[Post-Chorus]
With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar

Submitted by

mellow_harsher On Jul 11, 2017

Falling Down

Love You Like a Love Song

Naturally

Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Who Says

[Pre-Chorus]
Ooh you're taking up a fraction of my mind
Ooooh every time I watch you serpentine

[Post-Chorus]
With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar

[Pre-Chorus]
Ooh you're taking up a fraction of my mind
Ooooh every time I watch you serpentine

[Post-Chorus]
With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar

[Bridge]
And oh baby let's make reality, actuality, a reality
Oh baby let's make reality, actuality, a reality

[Post-Chorus]
With my feelings on fire
Guess I'm a bad liar

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Mellow_Harsher

Submitter

2017-07-11 14:25:23

1 Meaning

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by nullportal

7y ago

On an overt level, these lyrics talk about the giddiness and blend of both desire and aversion, hope and fear, young females feel when entering into a bad case of love fever, perhaps regarding a person she already knows is a bad idea to become obsessed about.

On a more subtle level, references to a war, references to the fact that an outcome of a struggle like a war has a victor and a subjugated party often, and references to a negative self-assessment of prospects in such a struggle - destined to "give in to you" or submit rather than simply manage to avoid contact and avoid this, all talk euphemistically about some primal emotions young females have about someone they are "falling" for.

On a primal level, perhaps Genesis said it best: You shall desire to guide him, but he shall govern you and dominate your feelings. This is a usual source of giddiness, a desire or craving for someone while simultaneously feeling anxiety about this. The usual course is to wind up "giving in", adopting the subordinate or submissive role in the relationship, and this is not always a safe thing to lunge headlong into.

It's all about the frequent refrain, "Not to give in to you", despite feeling it is desirable to:

passively allow herself to be rented and be an amenity to be enjoyed,
admit self defeat as her strong feelings overpower her deliberate intention to not let them show and not let them govern her,
blame herself as a "liar" and a bad one, a blameworthy trait of someone who perhaps deserves to be defeated and subjugated, rather than more neutrally or positively stated assessment of herself as a person whose nature is governed by feelings - what the heart wants, and
even such a potent this as HER kiss is what the victor, cast as the artist, will exercise control over, the weilder of the brush that is her.

Maybe the way is which the singer is most of all a "bad liar" is in choosing to portray herself as destined to be conquered in love rather than be someone with open options to choose at each point. The latter is the truth, but the former which is emphasized throughout the lyrics is a badly constructed lie being used to deny she can choose as she decides to at all points in the relationship.

Song Meaning

On a primal level, perhaps Genesis said it best: You shall desire to guide him, but he shall govern you and dominate your feelings.  This is a usual source of giddiness, a desire or craving for someone while simultaneously feeling anxiety about this.  The usual course is to wind up "giving in", adopting the subordinate or submissive role in the relationship, and this is not always a safe thing to lunge headlong into.

It's all about the frequent refrain, "Not to give in to you", despite feeling it is desirable to:

- passively allow herself to be rented and be an amenity to be enjoyed,
 - admit self defeat as her strong feelings overpower her deliberate intention to not let them show and not let them govern her,
 - blame herself as a "liar" and a bad one, a blameworthy trait of someone who perhaps deserves to be defeated and subjugated, rather than more neutrally or positively stated assessment of herself as a person whose nature is governed by feelings - what the heart wants, and  
 - even such a potent this as HER kiss is what the victor, cast as the artist, will exercise control over, the weilder of the brush that is her.

Maybe the way is which the singer is most of all a "bad liar" is in choosing to portray herself as destined to be conquered in love rather than be someone with open options to choose at each point.  The latter is the truth, but the former which is emphasized throughout the lyrics is a badly constructed lie being used to deny she can choose as she decides to at all points in the relationship.

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