This song is at least partly brilliant in its ambiguity, as a quick glance over the interpretations here on songmeanings will tell you. Politics, Religion, Military Service, The Recording Industry, Relationships, clearly people are getting a lot of different things out of it. And yeah, at its core it mostly seems to be about someone in a position of authority abusing their power.
Personally though, I can't get past this as being a perfect anthem for Progressive younger-set Millennials, or whatever we're calling the new digital age kids who've grown up entirely in the age of the internet and social media and can hardly remember a president before Barack Obama. The kids who are currently entry-level in the workforce, or in college or high school, that one can't help constantly reading about. Sadly, that's not a compliment.
The first verse is wonderfully aspirational: searchlights that see in the dark, rockets pointed at the stars, beautiful hearts- I take it as being about our wonderful individual potential, and that's great. Then the last line of the first verse takes us into the refrain, about being betrayed by those we trusted.
Where the whole thing goes off the rails for me is verse two: "We are problems that want to be solved" Wait, what? I'm not a problem. My friends and family aren't problems. We're strong, independent, hard-working people. We're problem-solvers, not problems, and we certainly don't need or want anyone to "solve" us. "We are children that need to be loved" What? No, absolutely not. Of course everyone wants to be loved, but that doesn't make us children, nor do I appreciate anyone who thinks of us as children. We are the masters of our own destiny, not children waiting to be coddled and protected and cared for.
After that we launch back into the betrayal, but suddenly the betrayal is starting to make a lot more sense. Because if you think of yourself as a problem for someone else to solve, or a child for someone else to love and care for, then you are absolutely setting yourself up to be sold down a river. And if you're thinking I'm reading too much specifically into those lines, hang on for the next verse.
Verse three starts out very promising. "Sticks and stones they make break these bones but then I'll be ready, are you ready?" It actually sounds as if we've learned something. We failed to take responsibility for our own lives, we were betrayed, we suffered, but now we're stronger and starting to take responsibility for ourselves. Awesome! But no. Hang on a tick. "It's the start of us waking up" Well, better late than never. At least we're finally ready to take responsib... "I don't want control, I want to let go" What?! That's what got you in this position in the first place. Take control! Be the master of your own destiny.
But alas, these are the young, digital-age Millennial Progressives. (The ones presently "waking up," the rest of us have been wide awake for a long time.) They believe in the power and goodness of government, they think the government should tell them where to live, should send them to school, clothe them, feed them, provide for their every need. They don't want to take control and be strong, independent people. They want to be children, they want to be solved, they want to be wards of an all-powerful state.
Sadly, knowing just a touch of Pink's personal politics, I'm afraid this interpretation may be fairly accurate.
Look, it's just one interpretation. Enjoy the song for whatever you hear in it. But despite my initial enjoyment, I can't hear it without being very, very sad for all those people who have indeed allowed themselves to be sold down a river too far.
@Counterclockwerk Perfect analysis. I'm here because of this vexatious song being played every 20 minutes on the office radio feed, and I could never hear the actual words. I've also seen a news piece that referenced Pink and this song as an anthem for the LBGTxxx community.
@Counterclockwerk Perfect analysis. I'm here because of this vexatious song being played every 20 minutes on the office radio feed, and I could never hear the actual words. I've also seen a news piece that referenced Pink and this song as an anthem for the LBGTxxx community.
This song is at least partly brilliant in its ambiguity, as a quick glance over the interpretations here on songmeanings will tell you. Politics, Religion, Military Service, The Recording Industry, Relationships, clearly people are getting a lot of different things out of it. And yeah, at its core it mostly seems to be about someone in a position of authority abusing their power.
Personally though, I can't get past this as being a perfect anthem for Progressive younger-set Millennials, or whatever we're calling the new digital age kids who've grown up entirely in the age of the internet and social media and can hardly remember a president before Barack Obama. The kids who are currently entry-level in the workforce, or in college or high school, that one can't help constantly reading about. Sadly, that's not a compliment.
The first verse is wonderfully aspirational: searchlights that see in the dark, rockets pointed at the stars, beautiful hearts- I take it as being about our wonderful individual potential, and that's great. Then the last line of the first verse takes us into the refrain, about being betrayed by those we trusted.
Where the whole thing goes off the rails for me is verse two: "We are problems that want to be solved" Wait, what? I'm not a problem. My friends and family aren't problems. We're strong, independent, hard-working people. We're problem-solvers, not problems, and we certainly don't need or want anyone to "solve" us. "We are children that need to be loved" What? No, absolutely not. Of course everyone wants to be loved, but that doesn't make us children, nor do I appreciate anyone who thinks of us as children. We are the masters of our own destiny, not children waiting to be coddled and protected and cared for.
After that we launch back into the betrayal, but suddenly the betrayal is starting to make a lot more sense. Because if you think of yourself as a problem for someone else to solve, or a child for someone else to love and care for, then you are absolutely setting yourself up to be sold down a river. And if you're thinking I'm reading too much specifically into those lines, hang on for the next verse.
Verse three starts out very promising. "Sticks and stones they make break these bones but then I'll be ready, are you ready?" It actually sounds as if we've learned something. We failed to take responsibility for our own lives, we were betrayed, we suffered, but now we're stronger and starting to take responsibility for ourselves. Awesome! But no. Hang on a tick. "It's the start of us waking up" Well, better late than never. At least we're finally ready to take responsib... "I don't want control, I want to let go" What?! That's what got you in this position in the first place. Take control! Be the master of your own destiny.
But alas, these are the young, digital-age Millennial Progressives. (The ones presently "waking up," the rest of us have been wide awake for a long time.) They believe in the power and goodness of government, they think the government should tell them where to live, should send them to school, clothe them, feed them, provide for their every need. They don't want to take control and be strong, independent people. They want to be children, they want to be solved, they want to be wards of an all-powerful state.
Sadly, knowing just a touch of Pink's personal politics, I'm afraid this interpretation may be fairly accurate.
Look, it's just one interpretation. Enjoy the song for whatever you hear in it. But despite my initial enjoyment, I can't hear it without being very, very sad for all those people who have indeed allowed themselves to be sold down a river too far.
@Counterclockwerk Perfect analysis. I'm here because of this vexatious song being played every 20 minutes on the office radio feed, and I could never hear the actual words. I've also seen a news piece that referenced Pink and this song as an anthem for the LBGTxxx community.
@Counterclockwerk Perfect analysis. I'm here because of this vexatious song being played every 20 minutes on the office radio feed, and I could never hear the actual words. I've also seen a news piece that referenced Pink and this song as an anthem for the LBGTxxx community.