Marina and the Diamonds - Teen Idle Lyrics Meaning

I can honestly relate to this song, but not as much as someone else in my family, so this interpretation is going to be a whopper, haha.

Let's start off with this phrase: "I wish I hadn't been so clean."

This points out to the conservative/Christian teenage girls. (Hence the lyrics, "instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible.") The stereotypical teen is described via alcohol, drugs, smoking, etc., but this one girl seems to be avoiding all of that. It does, however, begin to set her apart, making her an outcast and sending her spiraling into depression.

And then we switch perspectives. This time, I'm going to point out these lyrics: "I wanna be a virgin pure."

It's obvious that the point-of-view has been changed with this beginning line of the second verse. The girl then goes on, describing how she made terrible choices in life and deeply regrets them. This character also begins to go through depression.

Now, to focus on the chorus:

"Yeah, I wish I'd been a teen, teen idle. Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title. Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible, (while) feeling super suicidal. The wasted years, the wasted youth. The pretty lies, the ugly truth. And the day has come where I have died, only to find, I've come alive."

As well as these lyrics:

"Adolescence didn't make sense. A little loss of innocence. The ugliness of being a fool. Ain't youth meant to be beautiful?"

These lyrics can be from both girls' perspectives. At this point, they are questioning their values. Being a teen is walking a tightrope of either leaning to 'you're-too-innocent' or 'you're-too-wild.' Peer pressure can make us believe that such things as drugs, alcohol, etc. are normal and should be used to have fun, even if those same things can ruin the rest of our lives.