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Could make a dress
A robe fit for a prince
I could clothe a continent
But I can't sew a stitch
I can paint my face
And stand very, very still
It's not very practical
But it still pays the bills
I can't change my name
But I could be your type
I can dance and win at games
Like backgammon and life
I used to be the smart one
Sharp as a tack
Funny how that skipping years ahead
Has held me back
I used to be the bright one
Top in my class
Funny what they give you when you
Just learn how to ask
I can write a song
But I can't sing in key
I can play piano
But I never learned to read
I can't trap a mouse
But I can pet a cat
No I'm really serious
I'm really very good at that
I can't fix a car
But I can fix a flat
I could fix a lot of things
But I'd rather not get into that
I used to be the bright one
Smart as a whip
Funny how you slip so far when
Teachers don't keep track of it
I used to be the tight one
The perfect fit
Funny how those compliments can
Make you feel so full of it
I can shuffle, cut and deal
But I can't draw a hand
I can't draw a lot of things
I hope you understand
I'm not exceptionally shy
But I've never had a man
That I could look straight in the eye
And tell my secret plans
I can take a vow
And I can wear a ring
And I can make you promises but
They won't mean a thing
Can't you do it for me?
I'll pay you well
Fuck, I'll pay you anything
If you could end this
Can't you just fix it for me?
It's gone berserk
Fuck, I'll give you anything
If you can make the damn thing work
Can't you just fix it for me?
I'll pay you well
Fuck, I'll pay you anything
If you can end this
Hello, I love you
Will you tell me your name?
Hello, I'm good for nothing
Will you love me just the same?
A robe fit for a prince
I could clothe a continent
But I can't sew a stitch
I can paint my face
And stand very, very still
It's not very practical
But it still pays the bills
I can't change my name
But I could be your type
I can dance and win at games
Like backgammon and life
I used to be the smart one
Sharp as a tack
Funny how that skipping years ahead
Has held me back
I used to be the bright one
Top in my class
Funny what they give you when you
Just learn how to ask
I can write a song
But I can't sing in key
I can play piano
But I never learned to read
I can't trap a mouse
But I can pet a cat
No I'm really serious
I'm really very good at that
I can't fix a car
But I can fix a flat
I could fix a lot of things
But I'd rather not get into that
I used to be the bright one
Smart as a whip
Funny how you slip so far when
Teachers don't keep track of it
I used to be the tight one
The perfect fit
Funny how those compliments can
Make you feel so full of it
I can shuffle, cut and deal
But I can't draw a hand
I can't draw a lot of things
I hope you understand
I'm not exceptionally shy
But I've never had a man
That I could look straight in the eye
And tell my secret plans
I can take a vow
And I can wear a ring
And I can make you promises but
They won't mean a thing
Can't you do it for me?
I'll pay you well
Fuck, I'll pay you anything
If you could end this
Can't you just fix it for me?
It's gone berserk
Fuck, I'll give you anything
If you can make the damn thing work
Can't you just fix it for me?
I'll pay you well
Fuck, I'll pay you anything
If you can end this
Hello, I love you
Will you tell me your name?
Hello, I'm good for nothing
Will you love me just the same?
Lyrics submitted by okokayok, edited by matchbocks
Track duration: 05:46
"The Perfect Fit" as written by Amanda Palmer
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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this song is not about sex, you idiots.
She's feeling useless and not worthy of love. She used to be too mature for her age, always thinking, but with that she lost a lot and got lost. She works now as a living status (the bride statue who gives flowers), which a lot of people see as useless. She's not shy, she asks people out, has dates, but it never works, which damages her.
So she, feeling helpless and lost, asks someone, anyone, to fix the mess that her life became, because she feels she can't handle it anymore.
The first lines: "I could make a dress/A robe fit for a prince/I could clothe a continent/But I can't sew a stitch" allude to the idea that she had dreams... dreams of what she could have become, of what she wanted to be. But she didn't have the skills to obtain such dreams.
"I can paint my face/and stand very very still/Its not very practical/But it still pays the bills" describes her starting out in a modeling career. She can put on make up, or "paint [her] face", and make herself look pretty while "stand[ing] very very still" so people can take pictures of her. This point is made clearer with the fact that modeling is "not very practical" and really isn't a sure-fire job nor a beneficial career for the world necessarily, but she can get money from it.
"I can't change my name/but I could be your type" points out her growing desperation. She can't change who she is or what she looks like, but she can change what she makes known of her personality. She can change how she gives off herself so that people will like her and take interest.
"I can dance and win at games/like backgammon and life" suggests she is clever and knows what she's getting herself into. Yet she is confident that she's the one moving the pawns around.
"I used to be the smart one/Sharp as a tack/Funny how that skipping years ahead/has held me back". This seems to be stating that she was very intelligent when she was younger. Yet "sharp as a tack" has an odd painful connotation to it, seeming to assert that she was either in pain then or is in pain now due to self-confusion. Also, I take her "skipping years ahead" literally to mean that she probably graduated high school early and tried to start a career before she was a legal adult, indirectly pointing to her immaturity and misunderstanding of the 'real world'.
"I used to be the bright one/Top in my class/Funny what they give you when you/Just learn how to ask". Again, the first two parts allude to her intelligence. But, the second two parts seem to go back to her modeling job, in my opinion. Perhaps she wasn't getting a big enough salary to pay her bills... so she started to sell her body. When she'd ask to be paid, they'd give her a lot of money for her 'services'.
"I can write a song/But I can't sing in key/I can play piano/But I never learned to read" suggests a musical background. Maybe her parents wanted her to be a musical genius, but she sort of failed at it. Or, while she's extremely intelligent, she lacks certain key skills. She excels in one area, yet is extremely below average in another.
"I can't trap a mouse/but I can pet a cat/No, I'm really serious!/I'm really very good at that" holds a *very* sexual connotation. The whole 'petting a cat' thing = her masturbating. This was possible a start to maybe a porn career or just a peek-show, or something. She can touch herself in front of men... and she can do it well. She doesn't get shy or embarrassed... she just does it.
"I can't fix a car/But I can fix a flat/I could fix a lot of things/But I'd rather not get into that". I believe this to also be very sexual. Again, the very first line simply states a simple task. But, the second part gives a contorted opposite that is sexual in meaning: a 'flat' is a flaccid penis. She can turn a guy on and make him horny. The "fix[ing] a lot of things" is that she can then make him 'feel better' and have sex with him so that he'll orgasm, 'fixing' the problem.
"I used to be the bright one/Smart as a whip/Funny how you slip so far when/Teachers don't keep track of it". Again, she's intelligent. But, the "smart as a whip" has a painful feeling behind it. Perhaps this alludes to her doing very lewd, uncommon, unconventional sexual acts for money, perhaps it doesn't. But, the 'teachers' part I think might be saying that she might have graduated high school early due to giving sexual favours to some of her teachers so that they would overlook things.
"I used to be the tight one/The perfect fit/Funny how those compliments can/Make you feel so full of it". I agree with many other people on the meaning of this line: she used to be 'tight' as in 'virgin-like' and 'unbroken'. All the compliments she got from men made her feel good about herself and think that she was very skilled at what she could do.
"I can shuffle, cut, and deal/But I can't draw a hand/I can't draw a lot of things/I hope you understand/I'm not exceptionally shy/But I've never had a man/That I could look straight in the eye/And tell my secret plans". While the obvious imagery in the beginning of this line talks of card-playing and poker, it also had a double meaning: she can move around (shuffle), she can hurt herself (cut), she can "deal" with the pain... but she can't make anything out of it... she can't make it better (draw a hand). And she can't "draw a lot of things" because she can't come up with them. She can't gain a lot of things in life, she can't feel good about herself, she doesn't have enough money, etc.
The second half of this line I imagine her saying to a guy who is a common client of her's and has asked her to marry him. She says this to him because she feels like he's different (this is the first mention of him in this song, I think).
"I can take a vow/And I can wear a ring/And I can make you promises/But they won't mean a thing". Back to the marriage. I think that she got married to the man. She vowed to stay faithful to him, she wore the ring that constituted their bond... but it doesn't matter. He doesn't take care of her, she still whores herself out. Being with him doesn't help her feel any better about herself.
"Can't you do it for me, I'll pay you well/ Oh, fuck, I'll pay you anything if you could end this" is very sexual. Some guy comes begging for sex from her, she tells him to just jack off... she's married now. But he persuades her... says he'll "pay [her] anything" if she could "end" his suffering (from being so horny).
"Can't you just fix it for me, it's gone berserk.../Oh, fuck, I'll give you anything/ if you can make the damn thing work". More sexual pleading.
"Can't you just fix it for me, I'll pay you well/Oh, fuck, I'll pay you anything/ if you can end this"
more sex. (I really like this part because of the transition from this line to the next line. It sounds like "if you can end this hell... o I love you..." :) )
"Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?/Hello, I'm good for nothing-will you love me just the same?" Picture a man calling to her, saying how she's so beautiful, that she's perfect, that he wants her... he asks her her name. She replies back with the second half. She has nothing good in her life. She's worthless, she's meaningless. Men only appreciate her for sex. She can't help him. Does he still "love" her now?
fuck i'll pay you anything if you could end this
can't you just fix it for me, it's gone berserk...
fuck i'll give you anything if
you can make the damn thing work"
she's talking about herself and how she doesn't feel like she's worth anything.
i can write a song
but i cant sing in key
i can play piano
but i never learned to read
Again making the insignifigent things seem meaningful and important.
i can't trap a mouse
but i can pet a cat
no i'm really serious!
i'm really very good at that
She admitting to another short coming and trying to cover it up with something else that will make up for it.
i can't fix a car
but i can fix a flat
i could fix alot of things
but i'd rather not get into that
I think this verse is about how she knows she isn’t abole to salvage whats left after a big mess, but she can fix smaller things no matter what subject which would be why she’s uncomfortable with talking about it.
i used to be the bright one
smart as a whip
funny how you slip so far when
teachers dont keep track of it
How she began to change when she got older and went to high school where people don’t monitor you as much.
i used to be the tight one
the perfect fit
funny how those compliments can
make you feel so full of it
This is one of my favorite verses in the whole song. Obviously, she used to be able to fit in perfectly and be and excellent student and probably popular, but as she received more and more compliments she became conceited and began to change for the worse as she slacked off in the different aspects of her life.
i can shuffle cut and deal
but i can't draw a hand
i can't draw a lot of things
i hope you understand
i'm not exceptionally shy
but i've never had a man
that i could look straight in the eye
and tell my secret plans
She can do half of a task correctly and is ho-ping that her boyfriend understands this short coming. And she probably feels a little over whelmed by the fact that he’s the first man she feels comfortable telling everything too.
i can take a vow
and i can wear a ring
and i can make you promises but
they won't mean a thing
Shes telling him how she can get married and make all these promises to live a certain way but it dosen’t mean she’s going to listen to the promises she’s made.
can't you do it for me, i'll pay you well
fuck i'll pay you anything if you could end this
This is the part of the song when she seems to be desperate to fix herself, to the point where she’s offering to do absolutely anything for them if they can fix her.
can't you just fix it for me, it's gone berserk...
fuck i'll give you anything if
you can make the damn thing work
I think she’s talking about her heart and how she knows that shes supposed to feel this way for him but she can’t because her heart is broken.
can't you just fix it for me, ill pay you well,
fuck ill pay you anything
if you can end this hell
hello, i love you will you tell me your name?
hello, i'm good for nothing - will you love me just the same?
This part of the song is showing that shes desprate4 to change herself, desperate to fix herself because she’s sick of feeling the way she does. And she’s willing to fall in love with any one as long as its love, she would even love a complete stranger and just hope he loves her even though she says that she’s ‘good for nothing’.
Yeah so that’s what I think about this song. This is one of my favorite songs by the Dresden Dolls. Her voice sounds so amazing.
They wanted a famous daughter
She wanted someone to hold
what I'm trying to say like when you're a little kid, still innocent, and know nothing about sex or rape or any of that, an you're popular because you are smart and pretty.
Once you get to that age, where your peers start learning about that stuff, you are suddenly unpopular because of you're virginity.
Maybe that's what it's about
Having everything,
until you find you have nothing