Ingenue Lyrics
What have we done to you?
Under that soft skin
I hear a ticking
The currency
Of being twenty-three
It turns from gold to dust
When you crest the wave of love
From the mouth of man
Framed like a cartoon
The borders clear and defined
The colors bold and bright
You want to be
Taken more seriously
But they just play a cue
And it's such a hard thing to do
From the mouth of man
And escape from this town
Before your sand runs out
Before your sand runs out
What will become of you
When age's glacial pace
Cuts valleys into your face?
The currency
Of being twenty-three
It will remain the same
Just by another name
What will you do?
Oh, ingénue
What have we done to you?
I'm very surprised that there are no comments on this song, as it is one of my favorites on the record. I will post my thoughts in hopes of raising more discussion into it's meaning.
This song seems very deep. I can assume that it was created to give a perspective into the life of an ingénue; a young girl, with little experience in the real world. "Under that soft skin, I hear a ticking" - like a time bomb, ready to explode from the growing influence of outsiders, and their not-so-innocent pursuits. "The currency of being twenty-three, it turns from gold to dust when you crest the wave of lust" - again, an innocent girl thinking she is in love is let down by someone who is only using her. "framed like a cartoon, the borders clear and defined, the colors bold and bright" - seems like the outsiders judgment of a meaninglessly simple girl "Take all you can, from the mouth of man, and escape from this town before your sand runs out" - maybe a call for her to learn from the good and bad, and to take a stance, to leave her shell, to grow from her experience before "age's glacial pace, cuts valley's into your face
I hope this gets the ball rolling, please share your thoughts on this beautiful song.
It seems to be like this song is completely about Zooey Deschanel and her career as an Ingenue (which seems to be a recurring theme in all the roles she plays, she's picked for being beautiful and vulnerable). Basically the song is all about how she wants to be taken seriously, wants to actually be a respected actress, but she keeps getting chosen for these "less than" roles. The lines:
Under that soft skin I hear a ticking The currency of being twenty-three It turns from gold to dust When you crest the wave of lust
And the lines:
And escape from this town Before your sand runs out
Those are referring to the fact that in Hollywood, women are only as good as their age and appearance. Once you're past 40 no one wants to hire you anymore. The "ticking" under her skin he's referring to is the ticking of time. She only has so much time that this career will last her before she's invisible.
Ingénue, what will become of you? When age's glacial pace Cuts valleys into your face The currency of being twenty-three It will remain the same Just by another name
This is a reference to aging and getting wrinkles. When a woman in Hollywood starts to show signs of aging, no one is interested anymore. The currency of being 23 in Hollywood is fame and fortune. But when you're not young and desirable anymore, the currency will no longer apply to you, and move on to another young Ingenue.
I think this song is basically saying, Zooey, you chose your career over our marriage and this career won't last you forever. You're only picked for roles because of how beautiful you are, but that beauty isn't meant to last, and our marriage was.