I only wanted what everyone wanted since bras started burning up ribs in the sixties.
Favors aflying, faces afalling and all I desire is to never be waiting.
If that's a crime, let's commit it.
There's a new crime, sexual suicide.

When our underwire radio tears into their international airwaves,
Boredom will die, ears will bleed
And all they'll desire is to give, and to please...

There's a new crime, sexual suicide.
There's a new crime, let's commit it.
While we're waiting on the next day
To begin it in the best way.

There's a new crime, sexual suicide.
There's a new crime, let's commit it.

Don't worry Heather, about forever.
Don't worry about me;
It's the lottery, baby, everybody roll the dice.
It's the lottery, baby. Everybody roll the dice.

Will we always be like little kids,
running grove to grove, asking,
"Who loves me? Don't know who loves me."
It's pathetic, it's impossible.
Like girls in stilettos.
Like girls in stilettos.
Like girls in stilettos running to run.



Lyrics submitted by tinylittlewords

Track duration: 03:46


The Lottery song meanings
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19 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I mostly agree with what everyone's saying, though I never noticed the relation to feminist aspects, but I always personally related to the "sexual suicide" as sexual orientation. Coming from a relatively conservative family it's hard to cope with it, I don't know if that's what the song was meant to be about, but that's what I get out of it. I love this song and I just find it really relatable and it's gotten me through a lot. I think the multiple possible meanings is what makes it so wonderful!
    Flag lionsrawron April 30, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I mostly agree with WarholMetricSystem.

    I think the comments about the music industry are interesting, but that's never really been anything I've gotten out of the song.

    I think that to take it a step beyond what WarholMetricSystem is saying, there is a bit of a backlash against the second-wave feminist ideals that they were talking about. More specifically, those second-wave, sex-positive feminist attitudes of women being empowered by sex and having a more stereotypically male view of sex and sexual activity has put pressure on women to have casual sex and make an effort to not desire commitment and long-term relationships. "Sexual suicide" is engaging in this practice. There is pressure to have and want casual sex, and with that comes emotional, and maybe more importantly, physical risks.

    It's a lottery, everyone roll the dice, recognizes that pressure on everyone, male and female, to engage in high-risk activities. Don't worry about forever--don't worry about the risks, and don't dare to want a long-term relationship or a commitment. Those are roles that patriarchy has forced on women, and to want them is to be a bad feminist.

    "Will we always be like little kids . . . asking 'who really loves me? Don't know who loves me'" recognizes that ultimately all human beings are insecure and want to be loved, but we'll always be looking for it, looking for sexual validation from one guy or the next (grove to grove), if we can't admit (because we're too "empowered" to admit) that we do want love. It's pathetic that we've been put in this impossible situation, and it really is like girls in stilettos, trying to run--women trying to be powerful and strong but who will ultimately stumble and fall if they can't recognize that they are humans, people with emotions.
    Flag mytinyvesselson October 28, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:trying to run*
    Flag mhmmalrighton July 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i love the feminism references she makes. i think this song has a lot to say about waiting for somebody that's worth it, as opposed to flaunting and selling any and every ounce of sexuality you have in you just to get some attention from a false love.

    i think a lot of females settle for less because they are afraid that they won't find the "perfect one". when she talks to "heather" about forever, i think she's saying that when you are looking for love you can't be worried about things like that, because in the end you never know, and it's all kind of a game of chance that everyone has to play.

    i love the last part of the song where she talks about the desperation that girls go through to find love wherever they can being "pathetic" and "impossible", and much like girls in stilettos, who are painfully and desperately trying.
    Flag sheselectricon March 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i agree with ebdavidson. That even though there was a big feminism movement for woman's freedom we really took a step back. yes maybe we now have the right to vote and do the same things men are aloud to do (ie. in the work place) but at the same time it brought up a sexualisation and making a woman an object, and i think that's especially true when regarding the music busness. What gets popular screen time on mtv, etc? Well the scantily clad woman of pop radio.So i think the song is just reflecting that while emily does want woman equality and freedom she notices that it also brought up the "whoreness" of woman in that sexual freedom sense. And i kind of see the "who loves me part" as the sense that now that we don't find that one guy to marry off young, guys and girls alike play the field alot longer than we would have 50+ years ago and music industry wise, i think emily might have had to go through the "who loves me" in the sense of who likes my music and wants to sign me/listen to me, even if i don't have half naked videos of me dancing. if that makes any sense
    Flag Mystical_nighton February 24, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think its about the idea of sexualizing your image in order to sell more records.
    "sexual suicide". There's obviously a lot of pressure on women to do this in the music industry, and a lot of women who would not make it unless they did that.

    "Boredom will die, ears will bleed"
    When people finally accept an artist's music regardless of her sex appeal, it will be a revolution of great music around the world.

    She may be telling her friend Heather not to worry about her struggle, that she's going to "roll the dice" and see if she can make it in the industry without caving to that pressure.

    The last verse is about the need to feel loved, and what people will do in order to get that, even if it's the wrong kind of attention. She finds it immature "like little kids", and thinks its an ass-backward way to produce music "pathetic, impossible".
    Flag ebdavidsonon December 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:in the 2004 bootleg of her performance, she says "every whore's desire is to never be waiting". i just found it to be interesting.
    Flag londonhalflifeon July 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Maybe it is the bisexual feminist in it---but what I felt this song was about was how sex is seen as this prize, this "lottery" to be won and women to be like objects, also in many ways have to be won. Where a women is a prize, that when won becomes only a servant to her master to "give and to please." I believe the part about "sexual suicide" is talking about how second-wave feminism deals with the ideals of women reaching orgasms, women being involved in sex, rather than just being a support. I see the whole thing as Emily saying, "women, feel empowered"---but at the same time realizing that no matter what women are confined in these ideals of beauty set by men--that we can't escape..."Like girls in stilettos."


    bleak, raw, dark.
    Nostalgic or not....that is what I got out of it.
    Love this song
    Flag WarholMetricSystemon July 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Amazing song.
    Flag missmeon May 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song has many personal meanings for me that I am not going to get into.. however, I have gotten a lot of insights from these comments. I'm with Joey the most.

    I think "the lottery" is a metaphor for love, sometimes you just throw your dice in not knowing how it's going to work out, and you get disappointed often because how much of a chance is there? And why not just do the act (sex) of there's nothing to lose?

    I'm the type of person who lingers on things that don't work out and.. I just happen to find them the most beautiful. I do wish they would work out, of course.
    Flag cloudgirlon April 13, 2009   Link

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