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Lust for Life Lyrics

[Verse 1: Lana Del Rey]
Climb up the H of the Hollywood sign, yeah
In these stolen moments
The world is mine (doo wop, doo wop)
There's nobody here, just us together (shadoop, shadoop)
Keepin' me hot like July forever

[Refrain: Lana Del Rey]
'Cause we're the masters of our own fate
We're the captains of our own souls
There's no way for us to come away
'Cause boy we're gold, boy we're gold
And I was like...

[Pre-Chorus: Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd]
Take off, take off
Take off all your clothes
Take off, take off
Take off all your clothes
Take off, take off
Take off all of your clothes
They say only the good die young
That just ain't right
'Cause we're having too much fun
Too much fun tonight, yeah

[Chorus: Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd]
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive

[Verse 2: Lana Del Rey, Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd]
Then, we dance on the H of the Hollywood sign, yeah
'Til we run out of breath, gotta dance 'til we die (doo wop, doo wop)
My boyfriend's back
And he's cooler than ever (shadoop, shadoop)
There's no more night, blue skies forever

[Refrain: The Weeknd]
'Cause we're the masters of our own fate
We're the captains of our own souls
So there's no need for us to hesitate
We're all alone, let's take control
And I was like...

[Pre-Chorus: The Weeknd & Lana Del Rey]
Take off, take off
Take off all your clothes
Take off, take off
Take off all your clothes
Take off, take off
Take off all of your clothes
They say only the good die young
That just ain't right
'Cause we're having too much fun
Too much fun tonight, yeah

[Chorus: Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd]
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive

[Bridge: Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd]
My boyfriend's back and he's cooler than ever
There's no more night, blue skies forever
I told you twice in our love letter
There's no stopping now, green lights forever
And I was like...

[Pre-Chorus: Lana Del Rey]
Take off, take off
Take off all your clothes
Take off, take off
Take off all your clothes
Take off, take off
Take off all of your clothes

[Chorus: Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd]
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
And a lust for life, and a lust for life
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
Keeps us alive, keeps us alive
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8 Meanings

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Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

I think this song is based upon the general idea of a young person's obsession with tragedy. As far as the video and the song go, there is a large suggestion that lana, whom we all know loves writing about melancholia and tragic love, is trying to convey the story of two people deeply in love but are bound to other priorities and relationships which prevent them from being together. Therefore, at the end, they both love each other with such fervour that to be together forever, they jump of the Hollywood sign and land in beautiful flowery meadow in heaven. Together Forever. I also think that the lines 'Take of all your clothes' which comprise of the better part of the song, are not intended with sexual intentions, but with the idea of baring ones soul to the other.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

To me this song is about two people that met each other and they have instant attraction to each other. They are both in committed relationships but they want each other bad and they begin to have an affair with each other. "The world is mine, there's nobody here, just us together." In my opinion maybe they tried to stop talking but they realized they had a "Lust for Life" and they can't quit each other because there's just too much sexual tension "We dance on the H of the Hollywood sign till we run out of breath." It's like they planned one magical night together where they could be alone regardless of the risks of being caught "cause were the masters of our own fate." Their night together is so passionate "take off, take off all of your clothes." "Were all alone lets take control." They have one night together "my boyfriend's back, and he's cooler than ever." This night will tie them over until the next time they can be alone together again. For now they will live their separate lives but always have each other on their minds "and a lust for life, keeps us alive."

My Interpretation
Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

love this song so much and after seeing the video it makes me wonder if it is about a suicide pact

My Interpretation
Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

I think song is about how people die because there is nothing to live for. But in the song they sing about how lust and living can keep them alive and not make them wanna commit suicide. They are in this together and the lust they have for each other keeps them alive inside.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

In my oppinion this song is all about the whole Hollywood industry and how people die (literally) to become famous and that its ok not to become famous and enjoy the moment and make the most out of it while we are in this world "Cause we're having too much fun Too much fun tonight"

Peg Entwhistle was an actress that jumped off the "H" of the Hollywood sign due to a what she thought was an unsuccessful career, little did she know a couple of days after her death her uncle got a letter for her which offered what would have been her first lead role in a movie "So there's no need for us to hesitate, We're all alone, let's take control" ...

That said, I think teres another way of intepretation for this song which is the classic LDR strong and over emotional love song in which they jump off the Hollywood sign together resulting in "blue skies forever" eternial love in paradise where you are free and you dont need to worry about noghing and everything is flower and love letters.

Another thing I would like to mention is the whole "Take off, take off Take off all your clothes" I dont think theres anything sexual going on here its just the will to make love to life itself but with a flirty little word play kind of thing.

Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

Lust makes you do things you wouldn’t normally do, it is fun but unhealthy. We tend to jump into things without care nor hesitation just so we can feel good even if we know it is bad for us and we are living in a fantasy, not in a reality... to feel alive. Lust is passion turned into obsession... That is why she commits suicide voluntarily in the end, they decide to have fun until it brings them to their tragic death. That moment when you have nothing else to live for, other than love. However, it is not love, it is actually lust.

The fact that Lana is the only one jumping and not the Weeknd in the music video, makes me think she was mentally driven by her partner to her death, and she is alone and he is only an illusion. When you are in an unhealthy relationship or corrupted by lust, that’s what it does to you. You don’t realize that it is not love.

Anyways, there are many interpretations which is why I like music so much.

Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

It's a song about her being conflicted between taking risks and doing what she wants to do and staying alive. The demo version provides more clarity on the meaning with its repeated bridge:

"I'm like a wild, caged animal,/ lying by the swimming pool,/ using all my power./ It's funny how my life just stopped and shifted/ from three years a stranger./ Like a wild, caged animal,/ lying by the swimming pool,/ trying to avoid danger,/ but my lust for life,/ lust for life/ keeps me alive."

So she's a wild, caged animal, meaning she has all of these primitive desires that she cannot act on because she's caged. Maybe the swimming pool symbolizes the things that pose a risk to her: she wants to swim, but she knows she would drown if she tried. Her lust for life keeps her alive, meaning the cage symbolizes this lust: it holds her back from what she wants to do but keeps her from dying.

Then we have this part about how she shifted from three years a stranger. Remember in the radio version above, she references how her boyfriend's back: maybe that is what this refers to. They split up and then reunited. And maybe he is part of her lust for life: she longs to live, but part of that motivation is to be with him. Maybe he is part of that cage that keeps her from swimming. She loves him too much to die.

But remember in the music video, something comes over her at the end, and she runs across the Hollywood sign and slides down it as the Weeknd chases her. She's found a solution... they've found a solution. As they sing, "There's no stopping us/ green lights forever," she confidently walks toward the edge after he hugs her. Lana and the Weeknd realized that it really wasn't life they were lusting for: it was each other (not just sexually: a romantic equivalent as well). Life was just a means to an end, and they realized they could also get that end (being together) though a suicide pact. Or at least they agreed to go do some dangerous behavior that might kill them. This way, they could have "green lights forever" and have eachother, too... in the afterlife -- everything they wanted.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Lust for Life lyrics by Lana Del Rey

This is maybe just me but I only watched the video recently and before I watched it I had a very different view lol. I was in a pretty dark place and Lust for Life spoke to me because it made me feel like when you lust for life you could have a will to live, to love and to just exist. Take risks and "take off all your clothes". It pulled me out of my own Harmful thoughts and made me realize life is worth lusting over, romanticize it and just live it to the fullest. Nothing in life is permanent but that doesn't mean it's worth giving up on. Maybe it's the hopeless optimistic in me but yeah that's what the song means for me and I wanna get it tattooed wish me luck😭