Melanie Martinez: Detention Meaning

Detention Lyrics

I'm not a bad guy
So don't treat me bad if I'm feeling sad, alright?
Please don't be mad if I don't smile back, alright?
If I fuck up my words, don't think I'm absurd, alright?
Alright?
I'm physically exhausted
Tired of my knuckles...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jul 14th 2020 report

   To me this song sounds a lot like a couple trying to solve all the underlying problems in a relationship with sex. Oftentimes in toxic relationships, the only reason couples stay together is because of the sex. So they pretend everything is alright in the relationship so they can continue having sex. Here I believe Melanie is comparing having sex to mask the real problems in a relationship with after school detention: “Baby can you meet me tonight in detention.” Which can translate to, “meet me in the bedroom.” “I can feel your blood pressure rise.” This is something that occurs during sex, it is high energy and your blood pressure rises without a doubt. “Fuck this tension” Again, trying to solve the tention in a relationship with sex. “Let me crawl up into your mind” which obviously is a reference to Melanie seducing her partner. “Did I mention pretending everything is alright is detention.” Again referencing having sex with your partner to avoid addressing the real issues in a relationship. This isn’t the only thing that suggests to me that this song is about sex. If you watch the music video for Detention, you can see Melanie and two other dancers dancing in a very sexual manner, as “children” throw bugs at them. I believe this is a direct parallel to a strip club in real life. At a strip club, people come to watch dancers on the stage, and instead of throwing bugs at the dancers, they throw money. Let me know what you think about my Interpretation, there are many different ways to interpret a song but this is just how I view it

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Feb 22nd 2020 report

   Crybaby is tired of being treated badly. Everyone goes insane if she makes one little mistake and gets mad at her for no reason. She tries to find things to pass the time, even though she is very sad. She says that they're too busy being selfish to see how she's feeling. No one cares about her, they only want her to make money, making her feel like 'chopped meat'. She begs to be treated properly, but they only ignore her pleading. She doesn't want to keep pretending she's alright, or for anyone else to say they aren't doing anything wrong. It's making her exhausted, sad, and frustrated.
3. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Dec 25th report

   This song is probably about how she pretends to be alright. In the music video you see Melanie performing and dancing while the viewers throw bugs and laugh. I think this is about people hating on her and her remaining quiet because the song says ¨I can feel your blood pressure rise¨ ¨If I don´t snap back alright¨. At the end of the music video you see how she stops performing and faces them, making them back away and scared. In other words, Melanie is probably getting hate so she pretends everything is alright and doesn´t say anything back because she doesn´t want to make more chaos.
4. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Dec 14th report

   I think this song means she is in a relationship with someone and only somewhat likes them. In the line "let me crawl up into your mind" it obviously means she is trying to seduce him but the in the line "pretending everything is alright is detention" kinda sounds like she doesn't have feelings for him and she needs to find a way to tell him. Also, when crybaby and her friends are dancing, the kids are throwing bugs at them wich reminds me of a strip club but instead of people throwing bugs, they throw money
5. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jul 14th 2020 report

   To me this song sounds a lot like a couple trying to solve all the underlying problems in a relationship with sex.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jun 20th 2020 report

   I think the meaning about this song is how people judge her to much and everything she does people still find away to make her look bad and she's tired of it and how people could be selfies and not care about her feeling and she trying to say that her "crybabies" trate her like its school because people don't care how they trate her and they don't care because she's making money and for her its like school because you have to be "perfect" for them not to get mad at you.
7. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   May 20th 2020 report

   I think of this song more of like a love sexual thing because how she says “I can feel your blood pressure rise”
8. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   May 5th 2020 report

   I feel like this song is about people that kidnap girls to make them dance for them and their guests. I know this may not be why Melanie wrote this song but, all people hear different things from songs. This is personally what I think about this song! This is a great song though!
9. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Apr 23rd 2020 report

   people are being mean to her but the teachers don't care. she's to nice tell on them but pretending everything is alright is only hurting her.
   
10. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Mar 11th 2020 report

    It means that in the phrase “they let them do whatever they want to me” means that people are being mean to her and not helping her when she is in need.
    
11. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Feb 16th 2020 report

    It means she is tired of being treated badly.