by Olivia Rodrigo · 2024
The song “making the bed” by Olivia Rodrigo is about taking responsibility for her own unhappiness and the consequences of her choices, as she grapples with feelings of regret, disconnection, and dissatisfaction despite getting what she thought she wanted.
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making the bed’ by Olivia Rodrigo is a song about feeling lost, responsible, and sometimes overwhelmed by your own choices. We’re going to explore the feelings and stories inside this song together—see what Olivia really means when she sings these words. ⬇️
️ The atmosphere of “making the bed” is heavy with self-reflection and a tinge of melancholy, like wandering through a rainstorm you partly caused yourself. Olivia tells a story of someone who’s gotten everything they wanted, only to find it doesn’t fill the emptiness inside.
In the chorus, we hear the raw ache of self-awareness: “but it’s me who’s been making the bed.” She admits, almost painfully, that her own actions and decisions have led her to this place of loneliness, regret, and exhaustion. It’s a confession we rarely make out loud—how often do we realize we’re the architects of our own discomfort, yet still hide under those metaphorical sheets?
The verses unravel more layers—Olivia confesses to ruining things she once loved, forcing meaning into empty moments, and losing control, symbolized by a dream of driving with failed brakes. Lines like “another day pretending I’m older than I am” and “i got the things I wanted, it’s just not what i imagined” sting with the honesty of growing pains, disconnection, and the hollow aftermath of getting your wishes granted. There’s a restlessness here, like sleepwalking through parties and conversations, haunted by the sense that nothing truly fits.
Ultimately, the song circles around the realization that blame doesn’t always live outside us; sometimes, it’s our own hands tucking in the corners of a life we don’t recognize. Olivia’s “A-ha” moment lands quietly but powerfully—true change begins when we admit the bed was made by us, sheet by sheet, regret by regret.
Writer(s) of making the bed:
