Rät by Penelope Scott Lyrics Decoded – Challenging the Ideals of Modern Prodigies
Lyrics
They make technology high quality complex physiological
Experiments and sacrilege in the name of public good
They taught me everything
Just like a daddy should
And you were beautiful and vulnerable
And power and success
God damn I fell for you your flamethrowers
Your tunnels and your tech
I studied code because I wanted
To do something great like you
And the real tragedy is half of it was true
But we’ve been fucking mean
We’re elitist
We’re as flawed as any Church
And this faux rad west coast dogma
Has a higher fucking net worth
I bit the apple ‘cuz I trusted you
But it tastes like Thomas Malthus
Your proposal is immodest and insane
And I hope someday Selmers rides her fucking train
I loved you
I loved you
I loved you it’s true
I wanted to be you
And do what you do
I lived here
I loved here
I thought it was true
I feel so stupid
I feel so used
I feel so used
I was your baby
Your first born
The hot girl in your comp sci class
And I was Darwin’s prep school dream
Bred born and raised to kick your ass
I fell for circuit boards
Rocket ships
Pictures of the stars
If you could only be what you pretend you are
When I said take me to the moon
I never meant take me alone
I thought if mankind toured the sky
It meant all of us could go
But I don’t want to see the stars if they’re just
One more piece of land for you to colonize
For us to turn to sand
Because we’re so fucking mean
We’re so elitist
We’re as fucked as any church
And this bullshit west coast dogma
Has a higher fucking net worth
I bit the apple ‘cuz I loved you
And why would you lie
And then I realized
You’re just as naive as I am
You’re so traumatized it makes me wanna cry
You dumb bitch
I loved you
I loved you
I loved you it’s true
I wanted to be you
And do what you do
I lived here
I loved here
I bought it it’s true
I’m so embarrassed
I feel abused
Well I don’t wanna eat the rich
I’d have to eat my hero’s first
And my tuition’s paid by blood
I might deserve your fate or worse
But I don’t need your goddamn money
I don’t need jack shit from you
So when I speak you bet your life my words are true
Let me level with you man
As someone guilty of the game
I took the help I took the cash
I would’ve taken your last name
So if any girl on earth
Should get to make a call about this
It would be me and as I see it
You’re a dick
So fuck your tunnels fuck your cars
Fuck your rockets fuck your cars again
You promised you’d be Telsa
But you’re just another Edison
Because Tesla broke a patent
All you ever broke were hearts
I can’t believe you tore humanity apart
With the very same machines
That could’ve been our brand new start
And the worst part is
I loved you
I loved you
I loved you it’s true
And sometimes I feel like
I still fucking do
I lived here
I loved here
I thought it was true
I’m so embarrassed
I feel abused
I feel so used
I feel so used
Take me to the moon
Because I feel so used
I feel so used
In the pantheon of songs that are both piercing and poignant, Penelope Scott’s ‘Rät’ stands tall. Through layers of electronica-infused melodies, Scott delivers a scathing indictment of the tech industry’s false prophets. At its core, ‘Rät’ grapples with disillusionment and the loss of innocence in the face of modern technological titans.
The track traverses a deeply personal narrative, weaving through themes of admiration, betrayal, and the reckoning with one’s heroes and the structures they inhabit. By unpacking the lyrics of ‘Rät,’ we dive into the nuanced articulation of a generation coming to terms with the complexities of their digital deities.
A Dissection of Daddy Issues and Silicon Sins
Scott opens with a genesis of secular and scientific heritage, alluding to the patriarchal figures that have crafted her world. Yet, there is a twinge of irony as this lineage of ‘White men who kill God’ establish themselves as new deities, shaping society with high-tech offerings.
As Scott juxtaposes her upbringing with her eventual disillusionment, she reveals an initial worship of the tech elite’s flamethrowers and tunnels—a nod to figures like Elon Musk. The seduction of technological power becomes a double-edged sword, as she finds herself betrayed by the very icons she aspired to emulate.
The Apple of Eden in Code: Trust Betrayed
‘I bit the apple ‘cuz I trusted you’ encapsulates the moment of Scott’s awakening. There’s a biblical rebellion here, yet it’s against a landscape of coding and innovation. Scott feels duped by an ecosystem that promised revolution but delivered a rebranded oppression.
The reference to Thomas Malthus invokes the specter of bleak deterministic views on population and resources, hinting at the underlying selfish and exploitative drives masked by lofty narratives of progress and philanthropy.
The Hidden Meaning: Space Missions as Colonial Crusades
‘When I said take me to the moon, I never meant take me alone’—here lies the crux of Scott’s critique. What was sold as a collective journey into space turns cold when Scott realizes it’s just another avenue for the elite’s expansion and exploitation.
Scott rejects the colonization of celestial bodies, weary of repeating terrestrial travesties. This stanza is a plea for inclusive progress, refusing the notion of the stars as mere real estate for the wealthy.
Edison or Tesla: The Billionaire’s Broken Promise
A profound disappointment resonates as Scott confronts her once-hero’s true nature. She yearned for a Tesla-like visionary, one who might challenge the status quo with compassionate genius, but instead, she finds an Edison—a shrewd businessperson capitalizing on others’ hopes.
In calling out broken hearts and a splintered humanity, Scott mourns the lost potential for technology to unite and uplift rather than divide and conquer.
Memorable Lines: The Lament of the Innovator’s Progeny
The recurring line ‘I loved you, I loved you, I loved you it’s true’ echoes throughout the song, undercutting the narrative with raw emotion. These words, coupled with ‘I feel so used,’ deliver a powerful message of personal and collective betrayal.
Yet, as Scott reclaims her narrative with defiance in the line ‘I don’t need your goddamn money,’ she sheds the trappings of her adoration, electing authenticity and integrity over the gilded cages of her forebearers’ false utopias.
