Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl

Album

Guts

Label

Geffen Records

Genre

Teen Pop

Composer(s)

Olivia Rodrigo;Dan Nigro

Entered Chart

Sep 23, 2023

Peak Date

Sep 23, 2023

The angst of social anxiety roars in “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” the fifth track of GUTS. The garage rock cut delves into Olivia’s struggles to socialize and fit in with her peers. The song’s title alludes to the common albeit faulty notion that homeschooled children are socially stunted. The nostalgic lyricism describes the social fumbles of her adolescent years: tripping, stumbling on words and making simple mistakes. When speaking with Rolling Stone, Rodrigo revealed that she named this track after Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man”.

Verse 1]
Cat got my tongue
And I don't think I get along with anyone
Blood runnin' cold
I'm on the outside of the greatest inside joke
And I hate all my clothes
Feels like my skin doesn't fit right over my bones
So I guess I should go
The party's done, and I'm no fun, I know, I know
I know, I know

[Chorus]
I broke a glass, I tripped and fell
I told secrets I shouldn't tell
I stumbled over all my words
I made it weird, I made it worse
Each time I step outside, it's social suicide
It's social suicide, wanna curl up and die
It's social suicide

[Post-Chorus]
Ah, ah, ah

[Verse 2]
I laughed at the wrong time, sat with the wrong guy (Uh-huh)
Sеarchin' "how to start a conversation?" on a website (How to flirt?)
I talkеd to this hot guy, swore I was his type
Guess that he was makin' out with boys, like, the whole night (Oh)
Everythin' I do is tragic (Oh)
Every guy I like is gay (Oh)
The morning after I panic (Oh)
Oh, God, what did I say? (Oh, oh, oh)

[Chorus]
I broke a glass, I tripped and fell
I told secrets I shouldn't tell
I stumbled over all my words
I made it weird, I made it worse
Each time I step outside, it's social suicide
It's social suicide, wanna curl up and die
It's social suicide, yeah, when I'm alone, I'm fine
But don't let me out at night, it's social suicide
It's social suicide

[Post-Chorus]
Ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah

[Chorus]
I broke a glass, tripped and fell
Told secrets I shouldn't tell
Stumbled over all my words
Made it weird, then made it worse
Each day that I'm alive, it's social suicide
It's social suicide, wanna curl up and die
It's social suicide
It's social suicide, don't let me out at night
I'm shocked I'm still alive, it's social suicide


[Post-Chorus]
Ah, ah, ah

[Outro]
Thought your mom was your wife (Ah)
Called you the wrong name twice (Ah)
Can't think of a third line (Ah)
La-la-la-la-la-la (Ah)
La-la-la-la-la-la (Ah)
La-la-la-la-la-la (Ah)
La-la-la-la-la-la, ugh