Lana Del Rey – Text Book | Lyrics Meaning & Song Review

“Text Book” is one of the three lead singles released by Lana Del Rey from her 2021 album ‘Blue Banisters.’ The song walks through some of the emotions of love Lana Del Rey experienced a while back, and how she could not hold on to it.

Lana Del Rey announced her eighth studio album ‘Blue Banisters’ expected to release on July 4, 2021. Along with the surprise announcement, Lana released three brand new singles off the album, along with the title track. It has only been just over a year when Lana released her previous project ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club‘ in March 2021.

“Text Book” winds tightly around the idea that girls look for similar features they saw in their fathers, in their lovers. A father is a little girls’ first lover and the greatest protector, and it leaves a lasting impression on her. Lana draws some similarities between her ex-lover and her father throughout the song.

Listen to “Text Book” by Lana Del Rey

“Text Book” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review

Verse 1

Lana Del Rey calls her story ‘text book’ meaning that it was a classic tale of romance written a million times over and over in history. She says how she was looking for a man like her father. A father is a symbol of love and protection. There is nothing a father would not do for his kids. So, it is fairly natural for a girl to look for a man who is as loving and protective as her father. For a short while, she thought she found who she was looking for in Brentwood, California, where she resided before moving back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, it turned out that he was just there to break her heart.

Pre-chorus-1

Lana Del Rey cleverly sings about one main reason why their relationship didn’t work out; “And then there was the issue of her.” At a glance, it sounds as if she is talking about an affair of this guy from Brentwood. However, in the next line, she adds that she didn’t even like herself back then. This clarifies that she was talking about herself all along. Lana was unhappy with her life in California and did not like the person she has become. California is the city of lights and stardom. Lana is a Midwest girl. So, she moved back to Oklahoma and found happiness. However, the lack of self-love in Brentwood poured into her relationships as well.

This guy from Brentwood is described as a person with shining stars and waiting for her with open arms. Maybe, this was a red flag for Lana who was already fed up with her star-studded life under the limelight. Maybe this guy was a celebrity himself, and maybe Lana had trust issues. Whichever the case, this guy pricked a broken part of Lana and that was it for them.

Chorus

Lana finds another similarity between her father and this guy from Brentwood–a vintage Bluebird car. Many signs pointed towards him being the suitor she was looking for. But Lana isn’t the girl for glitz and glamour. But he was. She recalls how they were screaming in the Black Lives Matter rallies before 2020. But she knew that he was doing a publicity stunt, and she was not into it. He wanted the limelight and she wanted to get away. For a split second she believed that opposites could work out–but not this one.

Verse 2

In the second verse, we hear Lana Del Rey relapsing. She had moved on from her life in California. But ever so often she reels back. If she had blonde hair could she have compensated for everything else she was lacking from the celebrity life? Would that have been enough for him? Because he was the closest thing to her father’s traits she could find in another man.

Pre-chorus-2

Lana Del Rey sings about another man in her life. This time, they are very alike. So, is this the winning formula? She feels right about him. But so did she with other men who stabbed in her back in the end. So, she will tread cautiously.

We guess all this really is textbook behavior… What are your thoughts on the song? Let us hear in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.