Pretty Boys

Song Meaning

The lyrics open with a striking, almost desperate attempt to rationalize unrequited desire: "Last night I dreamt you were gay." This immediate vulnerability sets a tone of frustration and longing. The narrator grapples with a lack of romantic interest from a "pretty boy," searching for any explanation. A core tension emerges from the contrast between past intimacy and present distance. The narrator recalls "slept in your arms" just a year prior, only to find the subject now "live in Virginia, alone on a farm." This abrupt shift from closeness to stark isolation highlights the emotional chasm and the narrator's struggle to reconcile these realities. The recurring chorus, "Boys will be boys / Girls can't avoid / Pretty boys," functions as a resigned, almost fatalistic observation. It's a cynical generalization that frames the narrator's personal experience within a broader, inescapable pattern. This repetition underscores a sense of powerlessness, suggesting that attraction to these elusive figures is an inherent, unavoidable trap for "girls." The lyrics effectively capture the sting of unreciprocated affection through specific, vivid snapshots. From the vulnerability of "came untied" to the wild, almost reckless "summer of sin" in Berlin, each memory builds a picture of intense emotional investment met with a perceived casualness or indifference. The final lines, "Liars and lovers / Twin brothers / Never win," distill this disillusionment into a sharp, bitter conclusion about the nature of these desirable but ultimately disappointing "pretty boys."