Melanie Martinez: Show & Tell Meaning

Show & Tell Lyrics

You pull me by my hair so I don't go nowhere
Tell me you love me, but you treat me like I'm never there
You say the cruelest words, you used to break my heart
'Cause I'm over here working my ass off
Why is it so hard to see? (Why?)
If I cut...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Nov 16th 2019 report

   Melanie is being brutally real in this song. She shows us how she feels like she’s constantly put on display. Many celebrities are constantly judged and this is her showing that she feels like she’s being constantly watched and she can’t display who she really is. This is especially showed at the end of the video where the puppet’s guts are showing and suddenly everyone is disgusted by it and leaves it. They are all disgusted by what’s inside. Her being a puppet controlled by a teacher represents how society controls her and expects her to be someone who won’t make any mistakes. That’s my theory, thanks for reading!

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Feb 22nd 2020 report

   I think that Show and Tell is how Melanie (and possibly other celebrities) feel. Fans say they love her, but only because of her music. Fans hate on her/her music and say bad stuff about it, which isn't fair because she put a lot of time and effort into it. People buy stuff they like (in this case Melanie) but then sell it (they trade Melanie for someone else or just start plain hating her). People she doesn't know will take pictures of her even if she politely says no. Sometimes they'll even call her rude for it. Fans won't pay attention to her needs; sometimes they'll even call her 'rude' or 'spoiled' because they think famous people have everything. I really think people should start treating Melanie and other celebrities fairly; they either treat them like royalty or like they committed a crime, but never like they're human.
   No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes.
3. anonymous

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   Jun 28th report

   This song is about how celebrities are just trying to live their life, and people constantly see them as objects for display. Mel has friends, family, and people she cares about. However, her fans just see her as a superior music box. In an interview, Mel said, "They lock them in a glass box, and if anything happens that proves they're human, then they don't like it." This is referring to how society treats celebs. "Harsh words if you don't get a pic with me" means that if Mel KINDLY rejects getting a picture or autograph with a fan because she's uncomfortable, in a rush, etc, then the person is gonna call her a rude bitch and that they used to look up to her, but they no longer do, and may "expose" her on social media, saying "oMg GuYs I mEt MeLaNiE mArTiNeZ aNd AsKeD fOr A pIcTuRe AnD sHe SaId No! OmG wHaT a RuDe FuCkInG aSs BiTcH!" and then people will actually agree with the ex fan, saying "wOw...I cAn'T bElIeVe I uSeD tO lOoK uP tO tHaT bItCh! I'm So SoRrY tHiS hApPeNeD tO yOu, So-AnD-sO!" when they would probably feel weird having a picture taken with a complete stranger; and having that picture be posted on social media as well. "You beg and cry for more, while I'm here on the floor" means that her fans tell her to make more music, while meanwhile she's on the verge of losing her voice. Mel wrote the song about how she wished society would start being acknowledging and treating celebs as imperfect human beings.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 19th report

   This song is about how celebrities such as Mel are used as entertainment for society.
   
   
   
   
5. anonymous

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   Mar 9th report

   I feel that this song is about how being a celebrity is a TON of pressure and she wants everyone to know what its like but she puts it into song form so that people know what its like. I've been listening to this song for years and I try my best to make the most of the lyrics and I'm sorry if this makes no sense but I feel this is what she means by her lyrics (Also all of her songs deal with different things people (in her songs its girls) face like ED, R@pe, Bullying, Stress, Ect.)
6. anonymous

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   Sep 1st 2021 report

   I just think that the girl in the song is being forced to be a "pErFeCt HuMaN BaRbIe" and doesn't like it. It just makes sense to me, other than the celebrity ones, like, how would you love/like/hate someone if you don't know anything about them, including their music, and whatnot. BTW, that gives me LJ vibes, idk why.
7. anonymous

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   Jan 14th 2021 report

   I think it is about how she feels like people (her fans and stuff) just treat her like an item and not human. I think that the part where it says pic with me is about her fans taking pictures of her when she tells them to stop. and she thinks that people hate on her music for no good reason and she's sick of it.
8. anonymous

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   Oct 27th 2020 report

   I read every thing and think what some of the people said is true cause celebrities should be treated like normally people . Also people that are fans really want a nethere k-12 and some people also want more new albums and she did that but still she puts out new album she amazing and a great arts .
9. anonymous

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   Jun 30th 2020 report

   This song is about how people see celebrities as just a puppet to preform for them, and they don’t treat them like human beings with feelings.
   
   “Harsh words if you don’t get a pic with me.”
   
   People bad mouth celebrities just because they didn’t get an picture or autograph with them
10. anonymous

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    Jun 1st 2020 report

    as well as being about how people view celebrities, I also think it is about Mel being in a toxic relationship who is only with her because she is famous. he constantly tells her he loves her and would do anything for her, then leaves her and makes her upset. she loves him, but knows it is one-sided. she is also scared he will 'throw me away like a banana peel' because she doesn't actually mean anything to him.
11. anonymous

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    Apr 12th 2020 report

    the song is about melanie and other celebrities being presured by us, fans,to be perfect and for me, the most sad part is when, she sings,"if i cut myself,i would bleed"as it also means depression and people will die because of the pressure, blood loss or they commit suicide and i do not want peeps to do that as the people that are close to you would also be sad and all cuz you are gone and hopefully, no more commit suicide cases/blood loss/covid-19 cases anymore!!!!!!!!!!T_T
    
12. anonymous

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    Mar 31st 2020 report

    Show and tell is melanie singing about the harsh treatment of celebrities in the modern world. They are made out as objects for people to stare at, and be punished for showing their true feelings. In lyrics like 'you beg and cry for more, yet I'm on the floor ' she references how she doesn't WANT the photos and media. She just wants to be a human.
13. anonymous

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    Mar 22nd 2020 report

    The song “show and tell” is talking about celebrities and how we put them on display, and when they make a mistake that shows they are human we get mad at it :)
14. crybabyy

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    Dec 22nd 2019 report

    Show and tell is about how celebrities are treated. The line: “Imperfect and human are we” is talking about how celebrities are expected to be perfect and are human and make mistake. “Harsh words if you don’t get a pic with me” is talking about how some fans took a picture of Mel without asking as she was leaving a building, she was polite about it and told them she felt uncomfortable. Those fans then posted the footage on YouTube with a video called “Melanie Martinez is rude to her fans”. “Art don’t sell” Mel believes that Art dosen’t sell. That’s why she tried to keep her movie free on YouTube. It is free again (Dec 2019). “It’s really hard for me to say just how I feel, I’m scared that I’ll be thrown away like a banana peel” She is scared that if she states her opinion she will be cancelled like many other celebrities/stars in the past.
    I hope you found this useful <3
15. anonymous

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    Dec 13th 2019 report

    The girl in this song is being forced to be a perfect doll and is sick of it. She's sick of being controlled by everyone and being a puppet.

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