"Golden" by Fall Out Boy
How cruel is the golden rule?
When the lives we lived are only golden-plated
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carried karats for everyone to see
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams
Where the sewage of youth drowned the spark of my teens
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me (too heavy for me)
Though I carried karats for everyone to see (everyone to see)
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
And pray they don't grow up to be...
“Golden” Reflection
The song “Golden” by Fall Out Boy is a melodic song with little to no instrumentation other than a piano, quiet violins and soothing vocals. The lyrics are very down-beat and the song itself is one that you would listen to when in a depressed mood.
As one who depends very heavily on emotions from songs, I find the song “Golden” to be one that I connect with, especially through feelings. I can feel the movements of the song and pitch, I understand the words said and truly connect with them on a deep level. The way that Patrick Stump dips into the deep notes, digging into your soul and pulling out the outer fluff to show the frail insides is incredible. Often I find myself singing along, expressing through my sound that I know what he means and that I agree, in a way.
Overall the song stands as something that shows how frail one is, how they truly are not as large as they may seem. It shows little self belief, and the knowing that one is worth less than what others believe, or exactly what others believe. The lyric “And all of the mothers raise their babies...to stay away from me” is a statement I feel through my heart and mind with a deep ache. I’ve had troubles with how I feel about myself and how others feel about me for a very long time, and I often believe that others dislike me as much as I despise myself. To hear another say how I feel, in such a melodic text too, is something special, especially when it is something you almost never want anyone else to hear.
Along with this, the lyric “Where the sewage of youth drowned the spark of my teens” is felt deep within as many alike feel as though being young and being an adolescent are not one in the same. The remains of being young are clogging and holding down the ability to be free as a teenager. As a teenager, I feel this especially, as I know how it feels. I remember being young, and being happy and full of life, and I know how it feels to want to go back to that. After all this time, I never felt the magic of youth again, and I haven’t felt the happiness of being more free ever since my role of being a teenager began.
The very ending of the song is what really gets me every time. For mothers to pray that their children don’t grow up to be what I am is something that I know I feel almost every day. I never want anyone else to experience how terrible I feel about myself, and I never want anyone to be the person that I believe myself to be.