about
Rosaline is (if I do say so myself) an absolute banger of a song. It’s about (you guessed it) Rosaline, a character from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Rosaline is the girl Romeo is in love with at the beginning of the play and promptly forgets about after meeting Juliet. She never appears on stage, much less speaks any lines, and is more of a plot device than a character. I always felt kinda bad for Rosaline. She’s treated (both by Romeo and by Shakespeare himself) as replaceable and forgettable. But, unlike Romeo and Juliet, she doesn’t die at the end of the play. So, I decided to write a song to Rosaline and ask her a few questions. Looking over the lyrics it’s pretty obvious that they’re really questions to myself. Rosaline is a song about some of my deepest fears: not being good enough, being unlovable, being alone, and being forgotten but listening to it makes me so freaking happy. It’s somewhere between pop-punk and indie-rock and classic-Mirabai-folk-something-or-other and it features fun little adlibs, a glorious bass solo, and a heaping helping of my sweat, blood, and tears. I hope y’all enjoy!
lyrics
Rosaline, what is it like to be all alone on a Sunday afternoon when you ordered tea for two?
Rosaline, what is it like to be by yourself when he puts you on the shelf? (oh woah)
And the crow caws and scares away the birds of paradise.
And Rosaline’s eyes are fire and her smile is ice.
So Rosaline why don’t you just fly away?
Rosaline, what is it like to never be enough and when you call him on his bluff he runs away?
Rosaline, what is it like to be easily replaced by a prettier face, cause that’s all you are.
And the crow caws and scares away the birds of paradise.
And Rosaline’s eyes are fire, her smile is ice.
So Rosaline why don’t you just fly away?
And he said “the all-seeing sun never saw her match since the world begun”
But she was the maiden moon and he was gone too soon when he left for the sun.
So Rosaline, what is like to have survived when all the rest of them have died? (woah oh)
And the crow caws and scares away the birds of paradise.
And Rosaline’s eyes are fire and her smile is ice.
So Rosaline why don’t you just fly away?
credits
from
Songs to the Monster Under My Bed,
track released April 9, 2021
Mirabai Kukathas: lyrics, melody, vocals, oversight
Matt Sablan: mixing, mastering, celeste, chord composition
Grafton Downs: bass recording and composition
Zoser Dunbar: guitar recording
Olivia Green: drums recording and composition
license
all rights reserved
