Dagenham Dream Lyrics
We received our bloody circles in the mail
Only see what's really important when it's nailed
As a teen, my Lord and savior was a male
Tightened truss and six steel strings that keep me frail
It's the worst I've ever felt, when it hailed
Broken teeth and bloody nose but least it snowed
Instantly dry, oh, I cried and cut a line
In my eyebrow, acted like the boys in town
Then my teacher told me that this made her sad
Had to act just like the others to get around
Friday nights alone in Ilford with my board
[Outro: Janet Mock]
Like, growing up I have always heard or like, I was always hyperaware of
The things that the people around me who were charged with my care
Or told me, like, be silent or be quiet
Or be ashamed or hide
Or perform a version of myself that wasn't really me
And so, I think that through my life I've always been hyperconscious and aware of not going into spaces and seeking too much attention
Um, because part of survival is, like, being able to just fit in
To be seen as normal and to, like, quote-unquote belong
But I think that so often in society in order to belong means that we have to, like, shrink parts of ourselves
About
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
On a track-by-track interview with Pitchfork, Dev Hynes talked about the song’s background and meaning:
Like “Orlando,” this song also explicitly references being bullied and beat up as a kid. Why did you decide to focus on those details here?
Dagenham is a town where I’m from in Essex, and this song is directly about one of the moments when I got jumped as a kid. I was in the hospital, and when I got out I cut all my hair off, stopped painting my nails, wearing makeup, all this other shit. I stopped it all. I went to school, and I remember my English teacher started crying when they saw me. That’s always really stuck with me. So this song is essentially about that and how I used to skateboard to escape. The song is kind of murky, almost like a memory. And with all the street sounds, I wanted to have this Cocteau Twins feel to it, even Smashing Pumpkins, which was one of my favorite bands growing up. I was trying to get back into that mode.
- 1.Orlando
- 2.Saint
- 4.Hope
- 5.Jewelry
- 6.Family
- 8.Vulture Baby
- 9.Chewing Gum
- 10.Holy Will
- 11.Dagenham Dream
- 12.Nappy Wonder
- 13.Runnin’
- 15.Minetta Creek
- 16.Smoke
