Darlin', darlin' doesn't have a problem
Lyin' 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
[Pre-Chorus]
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"
[Chorus]
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 shinin'
Like lightning, oh-oh
Like lightning
[Verse 2]
Carmen, Carmen, stayin' up 'til morning
Only seventeen, but she walks the streets so mean
It's alarming, truly, how disarmin' you can be
Eatin' soft ice cream, Coney Island queen
She says, "You don't wanna be like me
Lookin' for fun, gettin' 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 tirin', tirin'"
[Chorus]
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 shinin'
Like lightning, oh-oh
Like lightning
[Bridge]
Baby's all dressed up with nowhere to go
That's the little story of the girl you know
Relyin' on the kindness of strangers
Tyin' cherry knots, smilin', doin' party favors
Put your red dress on, put your lipstick on
Sing your song, song, now the camera's on
And you're alive again
[Interlude]
Mon 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
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 shinin'
Like lightning, oh-oh
Like lightning
Like lightning, oh-oh
Like lightning
[Outro]
Darlin', darlin' doesn't have a problem
Lyin' to herself 'cause her liquor's top shelf
About
“Carmen” is the 9th track from Lana Del Rey’s album Born to Die.
The song’s 17-year-old protagonist suffers from substance abuse. Del Rey admitted in 2012 that she had a problem with alcohol when she was a teenager, but hasn’t had a drink for a number of years. It is speculated that Carmen is a metaphor for alcohol.
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.
In addition to that, her love for vintage and American writers is clear for references to the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Lana said about the song:
“Carmen” is a song I can’t say too much about because it’s so close to my heart. It’s the song on the record I relate to most closely. It’s set partly in Coney Island, a place that’s been important to me throughout my New York City career.
According to Songfacts, Lana described in an interview for Complex magazine:
I was out really late and walking to the tempo of my own rhythm, and then I just started singing, ‘Carmen, Carmen doesn’t have a problem lying to herself cause her liquor’s top shelf.’ And it was an easy cadence. The whole thing just came, and I think I was in a really good place then, so it was like things… it was really easy to channel.
- 1.Born To Die
- 3.Blue Jeans
- 4.Video Games
- 8.Radio
- 9.Carmen
- 13.Without You
- 14.Lolita
- 15.Lucky Ones
- 16.Ride
- 17.American
- 18.Cola
- 19.Body Electric
- 20.Blue Velvet
- 21.Gods & Monsters
- 22.Yayo
- 23.Bel Air
