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(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night
You know that I caught it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more
And it's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable heaven
But ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you
Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times
We're not trying (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
So cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know
Oh, it's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable heaven
But ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you
I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (Oh)
Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (Oh)
And I scream, "For whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
He looks up, grinning like a devil
It's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable heaven
But ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you
I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (Oh)
Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (Oh)
And I scream, "For whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
About this song
Secret / situationship heat: fever-dream high; “bad bad boy / shiny toy with a price / you know that I bought it”—paying anyway. Breakable heaven, no rules; “summer’s a knife / if I bleed you’ll be the last to know.” Bridge: drunk in the car, garden gate, “I love you ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard,” grinnin’ like a devil—confession as crime. Upside sonics, anxious lyric: that’s the engine.
Key terms & images
- Shiny toy with a price
- The other person as glitter merchandise with a tag; “you know that I bought it” admits informed consent—not innocence, purchase.
- Summer’s a knife
- Season as blade. Bleeding stays secret (“you’ll be the last to know”)—heat and concealment on one wound.
- Garden gate / devil grin
- Bridge tableau: drunk, garden gate, “I love you” reframed as the worst news, smile like a devil—sweetness as trespass thrill.
FAQ & readings
- Why so bright if the words are this nervous?
- Production sells the fever-dream rush; lyrics sell the price tag, the cut, the secrecy. The engine is the mismatch—body wants to stay, mind counts the knife.
- What is “I love you ain’t that the worst thing” afraid of?
- That saying it aloud collapses the no-rules heaven: once love is named, the bond can be classified, punished, or forced into daylight.
Discuss "Cruel Summer"
Share what this song means to you, or the lyric line that hits hardest.
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