"Princess Die" is a song written by Lady Gaga in 2011. Gaga debuted the song at one of the shows of The Born This Way Ball at Rod Laver Arena on June 27, 2012. She said that the song was dedicated to 'super fans' after a tiara was thrown on stage. The song was registered on her BMI on January 29, 2013.
Writing and inspiration
In an interview with Vanity Fair for the January 2012 issue, it was revealed that Gaga was working on a song inspired by Princess Diana. The interviewer described Gaga playing an acoustic version of the song during the interview: "Gaga went to the piano to play us a new song she was working on about Princess Diana--a song about fame and celebrity death. Even in its rough stages, it has her trademark catchy chorus, and she sang the sad slightly bitter lyrics in full voice."
Telling the story of the day she wrote the song, Lady Gaga said
| “ | I remember I was having like a really sick day, I wasn’t feeling very well, and I was laying in bed and I got a package from Louis Vuitton. I opened up the package and there was a beautiful bag and it was from a friend from LV. And in the package, Louis Vuitton sent me a little tiara in a little bag, and I didn’t even know that they made them. So, I just remember it was this sort of bittersweet moment because I was having a really sad, depressing day, having some very deep dark thoughts. And then this lovely little sparkler came in the mail and I knew that that day I couldn’t really go outside because there was a lot of mayhem going on in the streets, so I just sat inside all day and smoked marijuana and drank wine with my tiara on my head. | ” |
—Lady Gaga | ||
On June 28, she also brought the original tiara she received and worn it along with the one she received the night before.
Before almost every performance of "Princess Die" during The Born This Way Ball, Lady Gaga explained the meaning of this song and what it was written about.
"["Princess Die"] is about all the legends that we've lost, because I think it's really fucked-up that we only revere people as artistic legends when they're dead. We never give them any props while they're alive. So let's change that, yeah?" - Lady Gaga during The Born This Way Ball at O2 World, Berlin, Germany.
After debuting it at The Born This Way Ball, Lady Gaga said it did not make the cut for ARTPOP, but that it would be released through the ARTPOP application sometime after the album's release, but it didn't happen.
Performances
The Born This Way Ball
Lyrics
On June 28th, 2012, Lady Gaga explained the variation of the lyrics for the song:
- "I'll probably play that song a little bit differently every night. I think I've probably have 8000 lyrics for that song and I've just cut them up."
Leave the coffin open when I go,
And leave my pearls and lipstick on,
So everybody knows.
Pretty will be the photograph I leave,
Laying down on famous knives,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Someone I know could love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
I wish that I was strong,
I wish that I was wrong.
I wish that I could cope, but I took pills and left a note.
I'm hungry from an anorexic heart,
I've been trying to tell you how I feel,
But was never very smart.
I'm wrapped in silks made for Egyptian queens,
I'll do it in the swimming pool,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark,
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Valiums I know will love save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Oh, Princess Die,
We want to watch her cry,
Princess Die.
Wish that I was strong,
Wish that I was wrong.
Wish that I could cope, but I took pills and left a note.
And I wish that I would go,
In my rich boyfriend's limo,
Right after he proposed,
With a 16-carat stone,
Wrapped in rose gold.
With the paparazzi all swarming around,
In my Louis Vuitton white buttoned-down,
Oh, it's not that deep.
So, bob your head for another dead blonde,
Whose real prince is in heaven,
She just wants to sleep.
The final act of life will be in,
My own hands to do,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Applaud, pour vous.
Changes and re-arrangements in bold
Leave the coffin open when I go,
Leave my pearls and lipstick on,
So everybody knows.
Pretty will be the photograph I leave,
Laying down on famous knives,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Somewhen I know love will save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Wish that I was strong,
Wish that I was wrong. (Hooo-hooo, hooo-hooo)
Wish that I could cope, but I took pills and left a note. (hooo-hooo)
I'm hungry from an anorexic heart,
Try to tell you how I feel,
But was never very smart.
Wrapped in silks made for Egyptian queens,
I'll do it in the swimming pool,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark,
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Valiums I know will love save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Wish that I could go,
In my rich boyfriend's limo, (Hooo-hooo)
Right after he proposed
With a 16-carat stone,
Wrapped in rose gold.
With the paparazzi all swarming around,
In my Louis Vuitton white buttoned-down,
Oh, shoot me from, the left.
And bob your head for another dead blonde,
Who's real prince is in heaven,
She just wants to sleep.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Princess Die,
We want to watch her cry,
Princess Die.
The final act of life will be in,
My own hands to do,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Applaud, pour vous.
Changes and re-arrangements in bold
Leave the coffin open when I go,
And leave my pearls and lipstick on,
So everybody knows.
Pretty will be the photograph I leave,
Laying down on famous knives,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
I need someone to love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
I wish that I was strong,
I wish that I was wrong.
I wish that I could cope, but I took pills and left a note.
I'm so hungry from an anorexic heart,
Trying to tell you how I feel,
But was never very smart.
I'm wrapped in silks made for Egyptian queens,
I'll do it in the swimming pool,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark,
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Valiums I know Will love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Princess Die,
I wanna see her cry
Princess Die
Oh, Princess Die
We won't watch her cry
Princess Die
How I wish that I could go,
In my rich boyfriend's limo,
Right after he proposed,
with a 16-carat stone,
Wrapped in, rose gold.
With the paparazzi all swarming around,
In my Louis Vuitton white buttoned-down,
Shoot me from the left.
And bob your head for another dead blonde,
Who's real prince is in heaven,
She just wants to sleep.
Oh my, Princess Die.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Oh, Princess Die,
I want to watch her cry,
Princess Die.
The final act of life will be in,
My own hands to do,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Applaud, pour vous.
Changes and re-arrangements in bold
Leave the coffin open when I go,
And leave my pearls and lipstick on,
So everybody knows.
Pretty will be the photograph I leave,
Laying down on famous knives,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
I need someone to love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
I wish that I was strong,
I wish that I was wrong.
I wish that I could cope, but I took pills and left a note.
I'm so hungry from an anorexic heart,
I've been trying to tell you how I feel,
But was never very smart.
I'm wrapped in silks made for Egyptian queens,
And
I'll do it in the swimming pool,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark,
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Valiums I know Will love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Princess Die,
I wanna see her cry
Princess Die
Oh, Princess Die
We won't watch her cry
Princess Die
I wish that I could go,
In my rich boyfriend's limo,
Right after he proposed,
with a 16-carat stone,
Wrapped up, rose gold.
With the paparazzi all swarming around,
In my Louis Vuitton white buttoned-down,
Oh, it's not, that deep.
So bob your head for another dead blonde,
Who's real prince is in heaven,
She just wants to sleep.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Oh, Princess Die,
We want to watch her cry,
Princess Die.
The final act of life will be in,
My own hands to do,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Applaud, pour vous.
Changes and re-arrangements in bold
Leave the coffin open when I go,
And leave my pearls and lipstick on,
So everybody knows.
Pretty will be the photograph I leave,
Laying down on famous knives,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
I need someone to love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Princess Die
We won't watch her cry,
Princess Die.
I wish that I was strong,
I wish that I was wrong.
I wish that I could cope, but I took pills and left a note.
I'm so hungry from an anorexic heart,
I've been trying to tell you how I feel,
But I was never very smart.
I'm wrapped in silks made for Egyptian queens,
And I'll do it in the swimming pool,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark,
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Valiums I know could love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Oh, Princess Die,
We won't watch her cry,
Princess Die.
And I wish that I would go,
In my rich boyfriend's limo,
Right after he proposed,
with a 16-carat stone,
Wrapped in rose gold.
And the paparazzi all swarming around,
In my Louis Vuitton white buttoned-down,
It's not that deep.
So bob your head for another dead blonde,
Who's real prince is in heaven,
She just wants to sleep.
Princess Die
I want to see her cry
Princess Die.
Princess Die,
we wanna watch her cry,
Princess Die.
The final act of life will be in,
My own hands to do,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Applaud, pour vous.
Leave the coffin open when I go,
Leave my pearls and lipstick on,
So everybody knows.
Pretty will be the photograph I leave,
Laying down on famous knives,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
I need someone to love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these English shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
I wish that I was strong,
I wish that I was wrong.
I wish that I could cope,
but I took pills and left a note.
I'm so hungry from an anorexic heart,
Been trying to tell you how I feel,
But I was never very smart.
I'm wrapped in silks made for Egyptian queens,
Oh I'll do it in the swimming pool,
So everybody sees.
Bleach out all the dark,
I'll swallow each peroxide shot,
Valiums I know could love and save me from myself.
Or maybe I'll just clean the shit off,
Of these fancy shoes,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Princess Die,
I want to see her cry,
Princess Die.
Oh, Princess Die,
We won't watch her cry,
Princess Die.
I wish that I was strong,
I wish that I was wrong.
I wish that I could cope,
but I took pills and left a note.
(What Princess?)
I wish that I would go,
In my rich boyfriend's limo,
Right after he proposed,
with a 16-carat stone,
Wrapped in rose gold.
(Everybody stand for the Princess)
With paparazzi all swarming around,
In her Louis Vuitton white buttoned-down,
It's not that deep.
(Put your hands up for Princess Di)
Bob your head for another dead blonde,
Who's real prince is in heaven,
She just wants- (sing for the Princess so she can)
Princess Die
I want to see her cry
Princess Die.
Princess Die,
we wanna watch her cry,
Princess Die.
The final act of life will be in,
My own hands to do,
I'll be a Princess Die and die with you.
Applaud, pour vous.
Credits
Publishing
- Sony/ATV Songs LLC / House of Gaga Publishing LLC (BMI)