A contextual analysis

Here is a link to the video on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdB3Oyd5HtU

Well after I watched this video, I can';t seem to find any way that the lyrics match with the video. In the video they are in a gym, a room, and in a prehistoric "era". The lyrics and the video really don;t link together. The only real connection I see between the video and the lyrics is during the part where he sings "never trust a ho/Don;t trust a ho." The girls are grinding themselves on both the singers. The girls in the video are necessarily the whores the singers are talking about but it is really the only exact connection between the video and the lyrics.

Post Rewrite

"The first stanza of the song is about the guy is either kissing or making out with an actress. The line ‘Black dress, with the tights underneath/I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth /And she’s and actress (actress)” makes it appear that the singer is doing something. The following lines suggest that the actress is not a gold digger or interested in him because of cash since the lines “But she aint got no need /She’s got money from her parents and a trust fund back east” suggest that the actress is wealthy.
The next couple of lines suggest that he is macking on some girl, possibly the actress again and her boyfriend gets pissed at him and wants to start crap with the singer. The singer is not afraid of getting beat up on, so the singer possibly does not care about getting beat up or he can defend himself. “While my tongue is on the inside of some other girls teeth/T-tell your boyfriend (boyfriend) if he said he’s got beef /That I’m a vegetarian, and I aint fuckin scared of him!”
The first two stanzas of the song are interesting. They touch on cheating and making out with people. Violence is always fun to add into the mix. The girl’s boyfriend wants to beat the singer up. The rest of the song should be interesting to evaluated and analyze."


So the singer was talking about the black dress with the tights underneath. This could be assumed that he was screwing her possibly. Or he could have been describing her appearance, which turned him on? Then the lyrics give a hint that she is wealthy, since she has a trust fund, which usually means she has some wealth.Then the cigarette argument, which has been described as a turn-off or a turn-on. Going along with a comment someone left on a post, it could have been a kinky fetish or turn-on to him. It is still up to interpretation. Regardless of the teeth argument, he is still making out or having sex with the girl. I mean tongues on teeth mean kissing I would assume. Then he is most likely cheating on a girl, because he says he is not afraid of her boyfriend, so he obviously has no concern about the threats of her boyfriend.

Counter argument

Blogger kristenlagos said...

I don't know what song you're analyzing or the lyrics...but this could be referring to the last cigarette the narrator has smoked considering it says "the" last cigarette and not "your". The rest of the lyrics may help in understanding that it is or isn't though.

November 8, 2008 11:45 AM
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Blogger Alanna said...

i agree with kristenlagos.
And how do you know that the smokining is meant in a negative way? how do you know it made 'em nauseated or anything?

November 8, 2008 6:07 PM
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Blogger Brandon said...

That is a very good point kristenlagos. I haven't thought about it that way.

November 9, 2008 12:05 PM
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Blogger Brandon said...

Very true alanna. It could be thought of in a positive way. Although the way the narrator uses it in the lyrics could be assumed that it is a negative way. He doesn't definitely say that it is a good or bad thing. He may actually enjoy the cigarette smell or taste. But I think it is a negative feeling.

Commenting on a later comment, smoking could actually be a stress reliever to him. But he doesn't really say anything in the lyrics to give us a hint that he is stressed out or that he does smoke to relive stress or anxiousness or anger. I think that he could be attracted to it or turned on by it. I get the hint that it is taken in a negative way though. The artist is talking shit about this girl later in the lyrics so I think that every aspect of her he finds repulsive.

Older Woman?

B-b-b-bruises cover your arms
Shaking in the fingers with the bottle in your palm
And the best is (best is)
No one knows who you are
Just another girl
Alone at the bar

I think this same girl is grown up and is now older. From the first line, it seems as if she gets beat by her sexual partners or possibly even a boyfriend. The next line may indicate that she is an alcoholic now. She has the shakes so it could be a possibly withdrawal from alcohol or she may even be rattled because she just got the shit beat out of her.

The artist seems to be happy that she is feeling shitty. This girl may be the girl he was talking about in the beginning of the song. He obviously has hard feelings toward her since he says 'and the best is/on one knows who you are" He is probably getting gratification from this fact.

The last two lines may signify that she is alone now. Everyone she knows has deserted her. Since she is not at "hot" as she was her sexual partners probably have left her and the person that truly cared for her, the artist, has left her too. She is all alone at the bar drinking her life away. She may even have a STD. A nice reminder of the fun she used to have. But that is just an exploration into her life. The lyrics really don't point to her having a disease. She fucked up. She got what she deserved, in my opinion.

Drink like the bands.

Ex's, on the back of your hands
Wash them in the bathroom, to drink like the bands

These lyrics are most likely talking about a person in a bar or nightclub. If you are underage they put X's on your hands to signify that you are under 21. So this person obviously wants to be able to drink. The doorman put X's on this person's hands, or someone at the door.

So this person attempts to wash her hands in the bathroom so that he/she is able to drink and have fun while attending this nightclub/bar. This person is mostly a girl just as a stereotype or this person could be a guy. But looking at the previous lyrics it seems this person is a woman.Anyways, she wants to drink with the bands and probably get some sex out of them. She is a whore. If you look back at the lyrics they say "never trust a ho/Don't trust a ho". I think she is a whore.

"The teeth is very interesting. Maybe it shows that there wasn't love or compassion in the relationship but it was more primitive parse, fueled by lust and animal-like instincts. It sounds that their sexual relations was intense, maybe vicious." -d.malone

This is an interesting analysis. I think that their relationship could be based on rough vicious sex. I have posted something about that in an earlier post. Why would he use teeth? it is really unflattering if you think about it. If they were in a passionate relationship, he may have used lips or tongue to describe his sexual relationships.





"i agree with your analysis, but i also think the teeth could be in reference to her lying 'talking through her teeth' like a little bitch. You know when girls bite their lower lip witha smirk on their face in the way that says 'i totally want your nuts' that's where the teeth could play in also. But furthur or due, i believe they are talking about the girl in 'heat'." -Megzy


Possibly, I think that this could be true also. I like your take on the teeth. Especially the "little bitch". She could be in heat haha. I guess. Although, unless she is a dog I don't think she is in heat. I think she would be horny?

2nd stanza agruments

T-t-t-tongues, always pressed to your cheeks
While my tongue is on the inside of some other girls teeth
T-tell your boyfriend (boyfriend) if he said he’s got beef
That I’m a vegetarian, and I aint fuckin scared of him!


So the singer says Tongues always pressed to your cheeks. He could be talking about a slut. Since he said your cheeks he could be referring to the girl cheeks and having some guy rubbing his tongue in her mouth. She could also be cheating on him since in the next line "While my tongue is on the inside of some other girls teeth", suggests that he is licking or rubbing his tongue on her 'teeth'.

In this line, the words 'on the inside of some other girls teeth', inside could mean the act of licking or sucking on some girls teeth. He may have a kinky fetish with teeth. It may turn him on to touch teeth. Since he mentions teeth a few times during lines which could be taken as sexual acts. Why else would he use the word teeth? versus mouth, cheeks or tongue. Its a rather interesting concept of teeth.

The next line could further prove the point that he is cheating on the original girl with other girl because the singer says 'if he said he's got beef.' The boyfriend could be pissed because the singer is cheating on another girl with a boyfriend. Then in the last line he makes a sort of comical response to the threat of her boyfriend kicking his ass. Then the singer said he is not 'fuckin' scared' of him. Possibly the singer knows some sort of self-dense or something to that extent. Or the boyfriend is a pussy or really weak.

I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth

I am going to analyze the line "I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth".

Well an obvious meaning of the line could be that a woman was smoking a cigarette and the writer of the song was kissing her and the taste of her cigarette was on his teeth. Which is a bad taste to have in your mouth.

Another possible meaning of the section "I got the breath" could mean something totally different, such as the woman is blowing her cigarette smoke in his face and he has the taste of her cigarettes in his mouth.

The last cigarette on my teeth is pretty much obvious as to what it means. I can not really have another meaning for this. The cigarette she had just smoked has a nasty taste and she was kissing the writer or blowing the smoke in his face and it left a bad taste on his teeth. It may have made his nauseated or disgusted with this woman because the taste of cigarette on you teeth is not a good taste. It also may have been something that stuck out in his memory about this woman.

First Argument

The first stanza of the song is about the guy is either kissing or making out with an actress. The line ‘Black dress, with the tights underneath/I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth /And she’s and actress (actress)” makes it appear that the singer is doing something. The following lines suggest that the actress is not a gold digger or interested in him because of cash since the lines “But she aint got no need /She’s got money from her parents and a trust fund back east” suggest that the actress is wealthy.
The next couple of lines suggest that he is macking on some girl, possibly the actress again and her boyfriend gets pissed at him and wants to start crap with the singer. The singer is not afraid of getting beat up on, so the singer possibly does not care about getting beat up or he can defend himself. “While my tongue is on the inside of some other girls teeth/T-tell your boyfriend (boyfriend) if he said he’s got beef /That I’m a vegetarian, and I aint fuckin scared of him!”
The first two stanzas of the song are interesting. They touch on cheating and making out with people. Violence is always fun to add into the mix. The girl’s boyfriend wants to beat the singer up. The rest of the song should be interesting to evaluated and analyze.

This blog is a student run project to delve into Don't Trust Me written by Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte and sung by 3OH!3. The posts that follow will contain a textual and contextual analysis of the lyrics, the writer’s word choice, how the music emphasizes certain lyrics, and how those lyrics function in the world.

I am particularly interested in seeing what responses, memories and feelings these lyrics evoke in myself as I continue to peel back the layers of meaning. And less interested in interviews given by the artist on the lyrics, although I may include some of those later on in my project.

Later, this blog will also feature an analysis of the official music video associated with the song.

Don't Trust Me

Black dress, with the tights underneath
I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth
And she’s and actress (actress),
But she aint got no need
She’s got money from her parents and a trust fund back east


T-t-t-tongues, always pressed to your cheeks
While my tongue is on the inside of some other girls teeth
T-tell your boyfriend (boyfriend) if he said he’s got beef
That I’m a vegetarian, and I aint fuckin scared of him!


She wants to touch me woah
She wants to love me woah
She’ll never leave me woah, woah oh oh

Don’t trust a hoe
Never trust a hoe
Won’t trust a hoe, won’t trust me


She wants to touch me, woah
She wants to love me woah
She’ll never leave me woah, woah oh oh

Don’t trust a hoe
Never trust a hoe
Won’t trust a hoe, won’t trust me!


Ex's, on the back of your hands
Wash them in the bathroom, to drink like the bands
And the set list, (set list)
You stole off the stage
Had red and purple lipstick all over the page


B-b-b-bruises cover your arms
Shaking in the fingers with the bottle in your palm
And the best is (best is)
No one knows who you are
Just another girl
Alone at the bar


She wants to touch me woah
She wants to love me woah
She’ll never leave me woah, woah oh oh
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com

Don’t trust a hoe
Never trust a hoe
Won’t trust a hoe, won’t trust me


She wants to touch me woah
She wants to love me woah
She’ll never leave me woah, woah oh oh

Don’t trust a hoe
Never trust a hoe
Won’t trust a hoe, won’t trust me!


Shush girl
Shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips

I said shush girl
Shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips

I said shush girl
Shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips!

(Woah, woah, woah-oh-oh)
(Woah, woah, woah-oh-oh)

She wants to touch me woah
She wants to love me woah
She’ll never leave me woah, woah oh oh

Don’t trust a hoe
Never trust a hoe
Won’t trust a hoe, won’t trust me


She wants to touch me woah
She wants to love me woah
She’ll never leave me woah, woah oh oh

Don’t trust a hoe
Never trust a hoe
Won’t trust a hoe, won’t trust me

Lyrics from http://www.sweetslyrics.com/606173.3oh!3%20-%20Dont%20Trust%20Me.html