Royals Lyrics

Lyric discussion by bronxnyc 

Cover art for Royals lyrics by Lorde

Well, I think the lyrics are pretty self-explanatory if you really look at the lyrics. The whole song is talking about the misleading of the media and popular celebrities.

I've never seen a diamond in the flesh

(Unlike Rihanna, she's never seen a diamond in real life)

I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies

(That's an expression that means that she had her first experience with a wedding ring in a movie)

And I'm not proud of my address, in the torn up town No post code envy

(Pretty obvious. She isn't proud of where she lives, and doesn't feel the need to 'represent' it like all the rappers do)

But every song's like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams

(She's talking about how in songs, people are only ever talk about these materialistic things, drugs, sex, partying. Whereas in reality the closest she can come to even riding a Cadillac is in her dreams.)

But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece. Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair

(Again, more things that music idolizes, and she will never be able to relate to.)

And we'll never be royals It don't run in our blood That kind of luxe just ain't for us We crave a different kind of buzz

(Basically, she will never be 'royal' and experience all of these 'cool' things that singers talk about. But, in all honesty, she's much happier without having experienced all of that 'it don't run in our blood...we crave a different kind of buzz')

Let me be your ruler, you can call me Queen Bee

(Queen Bee=Beyonce.)

And baby I'll rule (I'll rule I'll rule I'll rule) Let me live that fantasy

(She is saying that she wants to rule her own life, and be able to enjoy a simple life without experiencing all of the things these singers idolize, and wants the media to allow her, as a singer as well, to do so 'let me live that fantasy'.)

My friends and I we've cracked the code We count our dollars on the train to the party And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this We didn't come from money.

(Before she goes to any parties, her and her friends count all of their money to make sure they'll be able to actually get in. This shows that, unlike many of the other singers, she can't just 'walk into the club', she is a normal person who doesn't have millions of dollars, and she's fine with this.)

We're bigger than we ever dreamed, and I'm in love with being queen Life is great without a care We aren't caught up in your love affair

(She's in love with being 'queen' of her own, non-royal, lifestyle, and thinks that her life is much better than their drug-party-sex filled lives)

:)

My Interpretation

this is also a good one, only thing id add is that when she says "let me be your ruler" she uses "ruler" for its other meaning... a "ruler" to "measure" others by and you can call ME queen bee... or the new beyonce or leader of the pack.... cause shes in love with being queen... or on top....

I have to question the genuineness of a girl of 16 who has upper middle class parents and was introduced into the music industry by virtue of her Mother's fame as a poet. She seems to lack the "street cred" all the "grey goose, tigers on a gold leash" types so yearn for. That's all.

I like this comment because it correctly identifies the royals as Hip Hop Royalty.

I would add that "caught up in your love affair" refers to Beyonce and Jay-Z, whose constant media presence induces us all to live along with it.

So, there is something of class consciousness here, but also, more interestingly is a rebellion of against a globalism that puts an obviously foreign culture (in this case, Wealthy Rappers) into the midst of teens living on a remote Pacific Island and expects them to make sense of it.

So, to respond to "reshelton" it's not simply...

My Interpretation