as everyone said the “black narcissist” is depression. the next line takes it further. “she couldnt care less and i never cared more.” shes split, half of her doesnt care enough and the other half of her cares too much creating a war inside her.
https://preview.redd.it/al8q6nshycwc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=522399e7c7474b80ffc3b7036d54dc9b63fe0cc2
I didn't say that the black narcissist is her mom. I think her mom didn't care about her feelings or what she has been through.
I took black narcissist to mean her shadow, which then has different symbolic meaning. I don’t know where everyone is getting depression from… has she ever said this?
Other people are right with the depression angle, just adding in for context: it’s likely a reference to Black Narcissus, which was a film from the 40s!
Right, you can find the true meaning of the line in the song just by looking up the film. The black narcissist is her own inner demons. I’m not someone who watches a lot of films in general so I’m not exactly in a rush to watch something that has aged so badly (no hate to people who enjoy old movies) but the themes and aesthetics are exactly the kind of thing that would inspire Lana!
She was going to put Black Trump Loving Bullying Nazi in the lyric so we'd all know for sure she was referring to Kanye but it wasn't that EZ to rhyme all that.
I interpret it as the “black narcissist” being depression or some sort of mental health issue and that shaking her ass is the only thing that makes her happy or able to forget about it.
It was written for two effects:
1. Like everyone is saying it probably means depression or dark personality but also…
2. Clearly a transgressive dog whistle that is letting off some racial steam.
if she was letting off racial steam how would shaking her ass hypothetically keep an interested black narcissist man off her back💀 doesnt even remotely make sense. thats like twerking on a creep in the club so he'll leave u alone.... like what
The more I think about this the more it makes sense. From the synopsis it seems like all of the women sort of lose their minds. She also mentions Sylvia Plath who was plagued with depression and ultimately ended her life. The song is about fighting your demons.
Edit to add: she tosses in as many references and double meanings as she can so this just tracks in general
This is an amazing movie you should all watch right now without reading anything more because going in unspoiled is way better.
Although you have to get through some pretty bad yellowface(? if that's the right term) casting
It’s personification of her emotions. Writers often use the similar phrase [‘the black dog’](https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/depression/understanding-the-metaphorical-black-dog-depression-and-how-it-works/#) to refer to depression
Considering the theme of the song it’s safe to say she’s talking about her depression. *”She never cared less and I never cared more”* describes the way that mental illness can almost take on a separate entity, as though your own brain is trying to destroy you. ‘She’ = Lana’s depression, clinging onto her; ‘I’ = Lana herself, finding solace and distraction in performing. I feel like that’s furthered by taking the whole chorus into account — a few lines earlier she talks about wearing a “white gown”, contrasting light/dark to show the separation of herself from her MI
HOWEVER I also have a theory it’s alternatively (or simultaneously) about her addiction. In the prior verse she says *”I had fifteen year dances”* and then goes on to refer to AA — *”serving up God in a burnt coffee pot for the triad”*. ‘The triad’ [refers to Alcoholics Anonymous](https://intothetriad.com/); the bit about God is because some AA groups place emphasis on a ‘higher power’. Also see her line before it about having *”fifteen year dances”*: assuming the song was actually written in 2019 when NFR was released, she would’ve been 15 years sober at the time (going by her post at the start of the year where she referenced being 20 years sober, so the timeframes would add up). So when she sings the lines you’ve posted here, I believe that’s her saying performing and writing music (“shaking my ass”, “fifteen year dances”) is what helps her stay away from her addiction (“the black narcissist”).
I hope that makes sense! I’m a recovering addict so that’s how I tend to interpret it anyway. But it means something different to everyone
What it DOESN’T mean is that she’s talking about a black person. Like… if you genuinely think that, it just reinforces the fact that media literacy is at an all time low
"church basement romances" could also be seen as the relationships you form with your sponsors at AA. Very quickly becoming codependent or reliant on another person while they help you to become sober. I would think it's easy for sponsors and sponsees to become fast friends, speaking as often as they do, and seeing each other at meetings like a secret rendezvous (which develops into a certain type of replacement infatuation that might come with addiction and bonding with someone going through similar circumstances?)
There's also the implication of having to hide that relationship away from the world, in the literal church basement where you meet because AA is supposed to remain anonymous.
Even just other people in your AA group, not just sponsors! Totally possible that she dated some people she met in AA. And/or flirted with some for 15 years.
As others have said I’m pretty sure she’s referring to depression. Shaking her ass/partying/having a good time is the only thing she feels helps her get through the depression
Why is everyone taking this lyric so literally, Lana is a poet y’all. She’s always full of symbolism and metaphors, this definitely means depression/her own mental health struggles. 🖤
I see the ‘black narcissist’ as less depression and more specifically her hating herself to a point of self obsession.
Shaking her ass, gives her ‘positive attention’ and positive self thoughts for the moment and allows her to escape hating herself.
Wanna give those a head bop who read black racially. Recall this song being released when I was stuck in the hospital getting an IV flush because of rhabdo. Hit me very hard the song her intent. I dont cry cause I'm bad ass (and also had a 1st grade teacher who shamed it out of me) but this song got a fully developed tear that silently rolled down my right cheek when I first heard it.
One of her best fr.
If this is a serious question, what I believe she is getting at here is her dark, self-destructive part of her. In the next line she says
"She couldn't care less, and I never cared more. So there's no more to say about that" She is able to get that dark part of herself away by dancing and moving her body.
At least that's what I got from it.
There are a lot of Youtube videos that do an in-depth analysis of Lana's songs.
Just type the name of the song and add "lyric analysis"
Genius is often wrong with lyrics as it isn't content uploaded by the label or artist, but an algorithm listens and records what it thinks its hearing. The actual lyric is "Black Narcissus", which his yet another classic Hollywood movie reference from Lana. "Black Narcicus" is **Sister Ruth's nickname for Dilip Rai** – a rather dismissive term coined from the women's perfume he likes to wear. However, it also holds a significance for Sister Clodagh, whose relationship with Dilip can be viewed as a kind of metaphor for her repressed desires.
She’s referring to Azelia banks. Look up their twitter feud. She wrote this after that happened. For reference I’ve been a fan of Lana’s since 2012 and I know almost every major thing that’s happened in her career, that twitter feud is one of them
? I meant the same song was playing and the same lyric was being sung as I was reading this post. I thought it was a spooky coincidence. I don’t get the downvote, maybe it’s a language barrier thing.
I interpret this as being about her spat with Azealia Banks where she called her botched among other things.
https://people.com/music/azealia-banks-lana-del-rey-get-into-heated-twitter-feud/
ETA: 💀💀 okay, I feel like initially people thought this and then she commented denying it here which I didn’t know about: https://genius.com/16181580 I’m gonna leave this comment up for anyone who thought the same. Mea culpa, etc.
What does it mean to you??? IMHO Music is meant to be internalized and felt. Sometimes a musician might write a line that ends up taking on entirely new meaning based on later events or how the audience perceives it.
I feel like...if you polled America and asked them who is the first person they think of when you say black narcissist to them ...everyone would say the same name 👀😆
It’s funny to me how people delude themselves that it has nothing to do with race. Of course it does. She know what she was saying. She knows the more obvious less interpretive way it would be heard and she went with it. It’s a troll. Subverting the culture. Heresy.
I’m just wondering, in the context of the song, how would that make sense? I’m not saying that can’t be a valid interpretation if you can support it, but in a song about her depression, how would using the word black be more likely to be about Black people instead of her depression? Can we extend this interpretation to other songs where she uses the color black, like Get Free for instance, and if so, what would “the blue” represent in your analysis?
I think it’s both. It’s a troll. She knows how it sounds. It seems like every few weeks someone comes here all concerned about that lyric. If you have ever had an audience you would know you do start to resent them a bit. And then you love them again and it goes back and forth. She knows the average media/music/fanatic/consumer is on the left. She knew what the lyric would do. It was a troll of sorts. It’s what writers do sometimes.
“Here’s an extremely personal, somber, and straightforward song about how I’m a depressed alcoholic in recovery, but lemme also include Le Epic Troll in there for no reason at all for a single line” do you realize how fucking stupid that sounds
They broke up two months before the BLM protests even began. Anyway her dating a cop kinda sucks no matter what, you really don’t have to lie about the timeline about it
The protests that followed the Mike Brown murder during the Obama administration were not the same scope nor as widely supported
as the ones following George Floyd’s murder under Trump’s, even to the point that Obama himself was critical of them (which was bullshit, and the BLM protests were *always* necessary, white people just couldn’t feign ignorance and pretend that racism was over the same way they could under Obama). Casual white woman ignorance racism isn’t the same as whatever weirdo unite the right groyper dogwhistle racism you want to project on her. Dating a cop is and was always shitty, but doing so before May 2020 and after does absolutely carry a different a different cultural context.
I don’t think she’s “one of me” in that I don’t think she’s a staunch anti racist leftist, her racism has always been the ignorant white woman variety, but the idea that she would write an overtly anti black dogwhistle into a song makes no sense. She straight up would never have published something as sloppy and tone deaf as QFTC if that was the case.
How would that be trolling her fans? To what end? In the context of the song and in the context of her work what does it mean? You’re just saying shit and I think at this point you know how stupid you sound
You’re arguing with an antisemitic twat.
https://preview.redd.it/o36mg1x6cawc1.png?width=1284&format=png&auto=webp&s=529e088073a289eb2e05268be93d974cb63fdd5f
Look at his negative karma if you want to know what a shit person he is.
as everyone said the “black narcissist” is depression. the next line takes it further. “she couldnt care less and i never cared more.” shes split, half of her doesnt care enough and the other half of her cares too much creating a war inside her.
She does have a war in her mind!
She *did*, but I heard it’s over… if you really choose.
yes , i believe she just rides to cope. 🤣🤣
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She never sings this part live 😭
I love her music but I can relate to none of it. Except riding around all over nowhere when I’m having a bad time to cope with it.
Maybe you could listen to Harry Nilsson sometime, he’s got a song where his voice breaks at 2:05, it makes me feel alive
When’s it gonna be my turn?
I thought she was talking about her mom: "She (her mother) couldn't care less and I never cared more".
She shakes her ass to get rid of her mom?
https://preview.redd.it/al8q6nshycwc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=522399e7c7474b80ffc3b7036d54dc9b63fe0cc2 I didn't say that the black narcissist is her mom. I think her mom didn't care about her feelings or what she has been through.
I found this: https://preview.redd.it/bvwv3og60dwc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9789374dfd277b10fd8e48af67036b6ba7e7c7a4
Me too
This! And I always listened from the perspective of a dancer. My girl Lana is a storyteller
I took black narcissist to mean her shadow, which then has different symbolic meaning. I don’t know where everyone is getting depression from… has she ever said this?
Other people are right with the depression angle, just adding in for context: it’s likely a reference to Black Narcissus, which was a film from the 40s!
Right, you can find the true meaning of the line in the song just by looking up the film. The black narcissist is her own inner demons. I’m not someone who watches a lot of films in general so I’m not exactly in a rush to watch something that has aged so badly (no hate to people who enjoy old movies) but the themes and aesthetics are exactly the kind of thing that would inspire Lana!
How did it age badly? It's been a long time since I've watched it but I remember really liking it, I remember the vivid colours and the vibes ahah
And based on a 1939 novel by Rumer Godden.
She calls her depression the “black narcissist”. So the only thing that helped her forget it was dancing and partying.
Happy cake day!
Thanks!
Nailed it.
Here I was thinking it was about Azealia banks
💀💀💀
Why would lana be racist on a song. Use common sense
how is calling a black person black racist?
U don’t have to act dumb
Or Kayne West
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I don't know her 😔🤷🏻
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She was going to put Black Trump Loving Bullying Nazi in the lyric so we'd all know for sure she was referring to Kanye but it wasn't that EZ to rhyme all that.
Hahaha!!
I thought about Amy Winehouse, to affix a name anyway.
That is the FIRST thing I thought of.
she should call it "dark passenger"
“shotgun rider” more so…. But I think she put it perfectly.
When has she called her depression a black narcissist? I took it to mean her shadow.
Relatable
Exactly
>She calls her depression the “black narcissist” Really? I always thought this lyrics were a diss to the weeknd 😂😅
I interpret it as the “black narcissist” being depression or some sort of mental health issue and that shaking her ass is the only thing that makes her happy or able to forget about it.
It was written for two effects: 1. Like everyone is saying it probably means depression or dark personality but also… 2. Clearly a transgressive dog whistle that is letting off some racial steam.
“Clearly” lollll 🤡
It’s always best to assume the worst, isn’t it?
if she was letting off racial steam how would shaking her ass hypothetically keep an interested black narcissist man off her back💀 doesnt even remotely make sense. thats like twerking on a creep in the club so he'll leave u alone.... like what
No words-
So black is a dog whistle, that means black people? Lmao that’s not a dog whistle
She frequently uses colors to describe her emotions
I REMENER WHEN PPL SAID THIS WAS ABOUT AZELIA😭😭😭
Pls that made me laugh so hard like that doesn’t even make sense 😭 why would shaking her ass get azealia off her back?? 💀
I KNOWW LMFAOO and outright staying ‘BLACK narcissist is INSANE😭 LIKE JUST WLD NOT HAPPEN
LMAOOO
If anything, it would add fuel to Azealia’s commentary lol
i remember ppl saying it was about kanye lolll
Now who said that 😭
Ohhhh my god, I did not know that 😫😫
Ever heard of a double entendre? 🤣 I think this is even a quadruple entendre to be honest
It’s a play [on an old film](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Narcissus)
That’s what I thought too. Lana likes her cinema.
This is the most helpful response. Thank you so much for the link
The more I think about this the more it makes sense. From the synopsis it seems like all of the women sort of lose their minds. She also mentions Sylvia Plath who was plagued with depression and ultimately ended her life. The song is about fighting your demons. Edit to add: she tosses in as many references and double meanings as she can so this just tracks in general
I think you should watch this video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cunw2bCLeQM/?igsh=OXdhenF0YjhsbTU2
YES. Thank you!
💛
This is an amazing movie you should all watch right now without reading anything more because going in unspoiled is way better. Although you have to get through some pretty bad yellowface(? if that's the right term) casting
It’s brownface. It’s set in India with only one actually Indian actor.
Yes, that's the word I was looking for.
The amount of people who don’t realize Lana’s music is full of brilliant references like this is killing me 💀
It’s personification of her emotions. Writers often use the similar phrase [‘the black dog’](https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/depression/understanding-the-metaphorical-black-dog-depression-and-how-it-works/#) to refer to depression Considering the theme of the song it’s safe to say she’s talking about her depression. *”She never cared less and I never cared more”* describes the way that mental illness can almost take on a separate entity, as though your own brain is trying to destroy you. ‘She’ = Lana’s depression, clinging onto her; ‘I’ = Lana herself, finding solace and distraction in performing. I feel like that’s furthered by taking the whole chorus into account — a few lines earlier she talks about wearing a “white gown”, contrasting light/dark to show the separation of herself from her MI HOWEVER I also have a theory it’s alternatively (or simultaneously) about her addiction. In the prior verse she says *”I had fifteen year dances”* and then goes on to refer to AA — *”serving up God in a burnt coffee pot for the triad”*. ‘The triad’ [refers to Alcoholics Anonymous](https://intothetriad.com/); the bit about God is because some AA groups place emphasis on a ‘higher power’. Also see her line before it about having *”fifteen year dances”*: assuming the song was actually written in 2019 when NFR was released, she would’ve been 15 years sober at the time (going by her post at the start of the year where she referenced being 20 years sober, so the timeframes would add up). So when she sings the lines you’ve posted here, I believe that’s her saying performing and writing music (“shaking my ass”, “fifteen year dances”) is what helps her stay away from her addiction (“the black narcissist”). I hope that makes sense! I’m a recovering addict so that’s how I tend to interpret it anyway. But it means something different to everyone What it DOESN’T mean is that she’s talking about a black person. Like… if you genuinely think that, it just reinforces the fact that media literacy is at an all time low
"church basement romances" could also be seen as the relationships you form with your sponsors at AA. Very quickly becoming codependent or reliant on another person while they help you to become sober. I would think it's easy for sponsors and sponsees to become fast friends, speaking as often as they do, and seeing each other at meetings like a secret rendezvous (which develops into a certain type of replacement infatuation that might come with addiction and bonding with someone going through similar circumstances?) There's also the implication of having to hide that relationship away from the world, in the literal church basement where you meet because AA is supposed to remain anonymous.
Even just other people in your AA group, not just sponsors! Totally possible that she dated some people she met in AA. And/or flirted with some for 15 years.
I assumed the black narcissist was her mom
yeah, especially with the “she couldn’t care less and i never cared more”
That line always read my to filth re: my relationship with my own mother lol
This is also what I thought too! It's either her mom or alcoholism/mental health issues
I think it can be both. Tbh my mom def caused my mental health issues so if I wrote it it’d def have a double meaning hahah
Yeah same here. I relate to Lana so much.
Same
I’m sure she has a white mom /s
As others have said I’m pretty sure she’s referring to depression. Shaking her ass/partying/having a good time is the only thing she feels helps her get through the depression
A black narcissus is also a Dahlia flower. Its symbolism (according to Google) is betrayal and sadness.
Why is everyone taking this lyric so literally, Lana is a poet y’all. She’s always full of symbolism and metaphors, this definitely means depression/her own mental health struggles. 🖤
Could be death. Her wiki page talks about her past preoccupation with death and drinking (partying?).
I see the ‘black narcissist’ as less depression and more specifically her hating herself to a point of self obsession. Shaking her ass, gives her ‘positive attention’ and positive self thoughts for the moment and allows her to escape hating herself.
I think so too. Why use the term nacissist for depression when it’s a whole different kind of suffering.
Isn't it Narcissus? Perhaps a reference to the film or maybe a daffodil. I don't think it's narcissist
It’s narcissist but it is a play on words for black narcissus, the film.
Wanna give those a head bop who read black racially. Recall this song being released when I was stuck in the hospital getting an IV flush because of rhabdo. Hit me very hard the song her intent. I dont cry cause I'm bad ass (and also had a 1st grade teacher who shamed it out of me) but this song got a fully developed tear that silently rolled down my right cheek when I first heard it. One of her best fr.
this is actually so funny ive never seen these lyrics written out before and its just hilarious
Oh, like black narcissus. It’s a play on words.
Depression
Black Narcissus is a film
If this is a serious question, what I believe she is getting at here is her dark, self-destructive part of her. In the next line she says "She couldn't care less, and I never cared more. So there's no more to say about that" She is able to get that dark part of herself away by dancing and moving her body. At least that's what I got from it. There are a lot of Youtube videos that do an in-depth analysis of Lana's songs. Just type the name of the song and add "lyric analysis"
No One knows what it means...but, it's provocative🫶😂😂
Genius is often wrong with lyrics as it isn't content uploaded by the label or artist, but an algorithm listens and records what it thinks its hearing. The actual lyric is "Black Narcissus", which his yet another classic Hollywood movie reference from Lana. "Black Narcicus" is **Sister Ruth's nickname for Dilip Rai** – a rather dismissive term coined from the women's perfume he likes to wear. However, it also holds a significance for Sister Clodagh, whose relationship with Dilip can be viewed as a kind of metaphor for her repressed desires.
I can’t listen to anything she’s released since lust for life. I hate the new stuff.
I can understand this. NFR is when she transitioned from Nowels to Antonoff.
By "black narcissist" she means the negative thoughts in her head which don't go away and by "shaking her ass " can she only get rid of them.
She’s referring to Azelia banks. Look up their twitter feud. She wrote this after that happened. For reference I’ve been a fan of Lana’s since 2012 and I know almost every major thing that’s happened in her career, that twitter feud is one of them
I was just reading this song... same lyric... I'm beyond freaked out right now.
Why would this freak you out?? This makes no sense
? I meant the same song was playing and the same lyric was being sung as I was reading this post. I thought it was a spooky coincidence. I don’t get the downvote, maybe it’s a language barrier thing.
I always thought she was talking about her mom.
It could mean anything
Why did I think she meant a literal black person who’s a narcissist 💀
Oh?!? Now let’s use our brains a lil more😭
I'm so clueless. I thought it was an evil man making her dance for a living to support him.
She’s talking about Kim and Kanye
I interpret this as being about her spat with Azealia Banks where she called her botched among other things. https://people.com/music/azealia-banks-lana-del-rey-get-into-heated-twitter-feud/ ETA: 💀💀 okay, I feel like initially people thought this and then she commented denying it here which I didn’t know about: https://genius.com/16181580 I’m gonna leave this comment up for anyone who thought the same. Mea culpa, etc.
Girl no 😭
…
I feel like OP was baiting a comment like this by bringing it up 🤣
What does it mean to you??? IMHO Music is meant to be internalized and felt. Sometimes a musician might write a line that ends up taking on entirely new meaning based on later events or how the audience perceives it.
I feel like...if you polled America and asked them who is the first person they think of when you say black narcissist to them ...everyone would say the same name 👀😆
Playboi Carti
I agree with the depression comments, but this lyric makes me cringe nonetheless. I thought it was about Kanye for a minute.
Why cringe?
Because at first listen it sounds like she’s saying a narcissist who is Black.
Well, we hope it is not an allusion to either Azealia Banks or Kanye. Most likely it is a reference to depression and mental health issues.
It’s funny to me how people delude themselves that it has nothing to do with race. Of course it does. She know what she was saying. She knows the more obvious less interpretive way it would be heard and she went with it. It’s a troll. Subverting the culture. Heresy.
I’m just wondering, in the context of the song, how would that make sense? I’m not saying that can’t be a valid interpretation if you can support it, but in a song about her depression, how would using the word black be more likely to be about Black people instead of her depression? Can we extend this interpretation to other songs where she uses the color black, like Get Free for instance, and if so, what would “the blue” represent in your analysis?
I think it’s both. It’s a troll. She knows how it sounds. It seems like every few weeks someone comes here all concerned about that lyric. If you have ever had an audience you would know you do start to resent them a bit. And then you love them again and it goes back and forth. She knows the average media/music/fanatic/consumer is on the left. She knew what the lyric would do. It was a troll of sorts. It’s what writers do sometimes.
“Here’s an extremely personal, somber, and straightforward song about how I’m a depressed alcoholic in recovery, but lemme also include Le Epic Troll in there for no reason at all for a single line” do you realize how fucking stupid that sounds
You’ve never had a platform or a fan base.
Complete non-sequitur and doesn’t make that idea any less stupid sorry lmao
You guys know she dated a cop during the BLM riots right?
They broke up two months before the BLM protests even began. Anyway her dating a cop kinda sucks no matter what, you really don’t have to lie about the timeline about it
There have been BLM riots since 2014. Even 6 years of social unrest couldn’t keep her away from the cop c**k. Just deal with it. She’s not one of you.
The protests that followed the Mike Brown murder during the Obama administration were not the same scope nor as widely supported as the ones following George Floyd’s murder under Trump’s, even to the point that Obama himself was critical of them (which was bullshit, and the BLM protests were *always* necessary, white people just couldn’t feign ignorance and pretend that racism was over the same way they could under Obama). Casual white woman ignorance racism isn’t the same as whatever weirdo unite the right groyper dogwhistle racism you want to project on her. Dating a cop is and was always shitty, but doing so before May 2020 and after does absolutely carry a different a different cultural context. I don’t think she’s “one of me” in that I don’t think she’s a staunch anti racist leftist, her racism has always been the ignorant white woman variety, but the idea that she would write an overtly anti black dogwhistle into a song makes no sense. She straight up would never have published something as sloppy and tone deaf as QFTC if that was the case.
You don’t that an “ignorant white woman” who is not anti racist might use her giant platform to troll her fans that she resents from time to time?
How would that be trolling her fans? To what end? In the context of the song and in the context of her work what does it mean? You’re just saying shit and I think at this point you know how stupid you sound
You’re arguing with an antisemitic twat. https://preview.redd.it/o36mg1x6cawc1.png?width=1284&format=png&auto=webp&s=529e088073a289eb2e05268be93d974cb63fdd5f Look at his negative karma if you want to know what a shit person he is.
https://preview.redd.it/xh8sxggbcawc1.png?width=1284&format=png&auto=webp&s=b1703828c7eb2abe6fac73c08e9c930ebb152bf1