Lana Del Rey | Born To Die (Deluxe) | lyrics

Carmen

lyrics:

—
darling, darling
doesn't have a problem
lying to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf
it's alarming, honestly how charming she can be
fooling everyone
telling 'em she's having fun

she says, "you don't wanna be like me,
don't wanna see all the things I've seen"
I'm dyin', I'm dyin'
she says, "you don't wanna get this way
famous and dumb at an early age"
lyin', I'm lyin'

the boys, the girls
they all like Carmen
she gives them butterflies
bats her cartoon eyes
she laughs like God
her mind's like a diamond
audiotune lies
she's still shining

like lightening
ooh, ah, ooh, ah
white lightening

Carmen, Carmen
staying up till morning
only seventeen but she walks the streets so mean
it's alarming, truly how disarming you can me
eating soft ice cream
Coney Island queen

she says, "you don't wanna be like me,
looking for fun, getting high for free"
I'm dyin', I'm dyin'
she says, "you don't wanna get this way,
street walk at night and a star by day
it's tiring, tiring."

baby's all dressed up with nowhere to go
that's the little story of the girl you know
relying on the kindness of strangers
tying cherry knots, smiling
doin' party favours

put your red dress on
put your lipstick on
sing your song, song now the camera's on
and you're alive again...

darling, darling
doesn't have a problem
lying to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf.
—

analysis:

background

Carmen is the ninth track from Lana Del Rey's debut studio album Born To Die. The setting of the song takes place in Coney Island, America's original "Sin City". As a fan of Nabokov's important piece of literature "Lolita" she is further inspired by another tale found within this literature, which references another tragic love story of "Carmen" by Prosper Mérimée. There is also a very famous opera based on that story, written by French composer George Bizet. The book and opera were both written in French hence Lana's reference by the French interlude. Off To The Races, Carmen and Lolita tracks on the album are also interconnected. Maybe they are all the same protagonist?

—

my thoughts

Carmen is the protagonist in this song, as Del Rey writes about a youthful, seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from substance abuse and child prostitution. The song has heavy

The song starts off with more lush violins and a distant, background voice that seems to be sighing. When the drums bounce in, they are sharp and certain, with Lana's first line being "darlin', darlin'" on the beat. The lyrics have Lana narrating the girl's life, telling "lying to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf." Carmen has no shame in her game. She lies to herself and others about prostitution and promiscuity because she is living a luxurious lifestyle. This is further proved by the line "street walk at night and a star by day" meaning Carmen is famous and well-known, rolling in glamour and publicity, but in the night, she has to search for someone who will pay for her body to earn money, and in doing so have no choice but to live a rootless and unrewarding existence.

The "liquor's top shelf" bit could also connect to Lana's experience suffering with alcoholism at a young age, so this could be a reflection of her experience. She was from a rich family so she got top shelf liquor. And the obvious, most grownups would keep their wine and spirits out of the way of children, so it's Lana saying Carmen is still a child.

Carmen is a very melancholy, theatrical song, with the production sounding nostalgic and theatre like, as if you could almost see roses being thrown on to a stage as the red, velvet curtains close and a rapturous applause ensues, the audience completely unaware to what happens to Carmen "behind the scenes".

"The boys, the girls - they all like Carmen."
This lyric shows Carmen is a popular figure for teenagers and is put on a pedestal of fame. Boys want to be with her, girls want to be her.
They see her for her face value, her physical appearance and theatrical act, fooled by her outward demeanour. But not beyond where she is secretly emotionally suffering. Like the Marilyn Monroe saying "diamonds are a girl's best friend," Carmen is materialistic, because she has nothing else to live for in life. She bats her eyelashes flirtatiously, giving them butterflies with her "cartoon eyes" because it's all she's really known of fame.

"She's still shining like lightening, white lightening."
Usually this existence would drain a person, yet Carmen still has the energy and brightness of lightening. She seems to be a shining star yet everyone is unaware of her inner turmoil. Carmen is a young and fiery soul, that hasn't yet burned out. She is a very short-lived but extremely bright girl, with the simile of lightening showing this. It could also be a play on words, with the words "white lightening" being close to "white lyin'" in the way Lana sings it.

—

the French interlude & meaning

mom amour, je sais que tu m'aimes aussi
tu as besoin de moi, tu as besoin de moi dans ta vie
tu ne peux vivre sans moi
et je mourrais sans toi
je tuerais, pour toi.

"my love, I know that you love me too
you need me, you need me in your life
you can't live without me
and I'd die without you
I'd kill for you."

— This is from the point of view of one of Carmen's crazed clients. In a slightly creepy manner, he declares that he would kill for her. Carmen's persuasiveness is indeed alarming. This interlude could also be a nod to substance abuse, considering the nature of the main theme of the song. She is recognising that she cannot live without her addictions to keep her going.

—