Dark but Just a Game

[Elle 121,278]

'It's dark but just a game'
That's what he would say to me
Their faces aren't the same
But their stories all end tragically

Sweet or whatever, baby
& that's the price of fame
A tale as old as time, you'd be
Sweet or whatever, baby

A pretty little fool
To think exceptions to the rule
Just walk around
Like you and me this way

But life is sweet or whatever, baby
You gotta take them for what they've got
& while the whole world is crazy
We're getting high in the parking lot

We keep changing all the time
The best ones lost their minds
So I'm not gonna change
I'll stay the same
No rose left on the vines
Don't even want what's mine
Much less the fame
It's dark but just a game
It's dark but just a game

It's dark but just a game
So play it like a symphony
You know our love's the same
They'll both go down in infamy

I was a pretty little thing
& God, I loved to sing, but
Nothing came from either one but pain
But fuck it

Life is sweet or whatever, baby
Don't ever think it's not
While the whole world is crazy
We're making out in the parking lot

We keep changing all the time
The best ones lost their minds
So I'm not gonna change
I'll stay the same
No rose left on the vines
Don't even want what's mine
Much less the fame
It's dark but just a game

We keep changing all the time
The best ones lost their minds
So I'm not gonna change
I'll stay the same
No rose left on the vines
Don't even want what's mine
Much less the fame
It's dark but just a game
It's dark but just a game
It's dark but just...

 

[Say Yes to Heaven 27,514]

The verses are so "No Doubt - Don't Speak" ... and I adore anything No Doubt... a win in my book

[American Whore 51,311]

The reference to Making Out in this one tho. "making out in parking lots with every little boy i spot baby you can't stop me"

[Thunder Revenant 20,943]

6 hours ago, Elle said:

A pretty little fool
To think exceptions to the rule
Just walk around
Like you and me this way
 

I love this section but I always hear "a pretty little thought"

The lyrics on Instagram even say it's "a brave little fool", which is DEFINITLY wrong.

6 hours ago, Elle said:

I was a pretty little thing
Ain't got a lot to sing, but
Nothing came from either one but pain
But fuck it

I think it is "And god I loved to sing", which makes much more sense, especially since she sings that nothing came from "either" (her being pretty and her loving to sing)

Wanted to check the Instalyrics on this one too, but this whole section is missing there LOL.

 

 

[Lustformoney 41,443]

one of her best songs

[Barry 5,932]

7 hours ago, Say Yes to Heaven said:

The verses are so "No Doubt - Don't Speak" ... and I adore anything No Doubt... a win in my book

I thought when I first hear it I heard similarities to like 90s radio music and then was listening to it starting there when I read that and this is it.

[annedelrey 1,821]

This song blowed my mind when i first listened to it! Top 3 for me

[Venice 6,933]

Top 3 for me too! So many elements to this song and it’s just so fun. 

[Barry 5,932]

The part "we keep changing all the time" etc it reminds me of something i've heard before also but I can't think of what, is it like the Beatles or John Lennon or something.

[saith 1,185]

Anyone else ear an interpolation of The Greatest during the Chorus ? After all they did sample How to disappear in Wild at heart.  

 

@Barry Isn't it the song you think about ? The Greatest sounded pretty much Beatle-y to me

[rabbit 5,269]

Forcing myself to not over play this beauty :,) Instantly joined the ranks among her best songs 

[chemtrailsovertrailerpark 214]

2 hours ago, Barry said:

The part "we keep changing all the time" etc it reminds me of something i've heard before also but I can't think of what, is it like the Beatles or John Lennon or something.

Yep I picked up on that too, definitely a Beatles vibe and I am here for it. Maybe it's how she does the kind of 'talking-singing' like in the Beatles lyrics "I read the news today, oh boy" 

[prettywhenimhigh 49,329]

PERFECTION

[Downtown Baby Doll 5,310]

I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but "pretty little fool" immediately made me think of this quote from The Great Gastby:

 

"That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."- Daisy

 

 

[honeybadger 40,620]

i hear all of the following: "sweet oh whatever baby", "sweet wha-whatever baby", "sweep ah whatever baby", "sweet why whatever baby" and "sweet poet of a baby" 

[clementines 9,890]

i hear sweet or whatever baby

[emberisl 12]

On 3/20/2021 at 2:27 AM, Downtown Baby Doll said:

I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but "pretty little fool" immediately made me think of this quote from The Great Gastby:

 

"That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."- Daisy

 

 

I think it’s referencing the lyrics in an Elliot smith song called say yes, he committed suicide so his fate relates to the content of the song  “And I could be another fool
Or an exception to the rule” 

 

[Churchome Rep 3,381]

I still can’t thinking about which singer/celebrity prompted her to write this, so I did a little digging

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/oscars-party-diary-inside-a-list-parties-events-1276442 (second section for the Guy Oseary party guest list). Not a lot of musicians in that list (The Weeknd, Adele, Miguel, HAIM, will.i.am, Elton John, Sean Combs) and while it does have Lana, it doesn’t list Jack Antonoff who according to Mojo was also at that party. We’ll never know for sure but it’s fun to whittle down the possibilities a bit. 

 

pls this can’t be another song about Kanye

[americangothic 1,690]

The guitar on the chorus sounds SO Red Hot Chili Peppers, love it.

[Creyk 11,699]

She's talking about fame here, how it ruins everyone who becomes famous and they end up tragically (overdosed, by suicide, car crash etc) without exception. The first verse is in particular is focused on it. When she says "pretty little fool, thinking exceptions to the rule", she's basically saying "a fool for thinking you can escape this 'rule' where all these celebs get their life ruined, destroyed and end up dead". "The best ones lost their minds", she's saying this happened even to the best ones.