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  1. Tracks
  2. Paramore
  3. After Laughter
  4. Rose-Colored Boy
Rose-Colored Boy by Paramore

TRACK

Paramore

Rose-Colored Boy

Release date: 11th May 2017

From After Laughter
Track 2
3:33
AlternativeMusicRock
Spotify Apple Music More on Paramore

About This Track

A Dork five-star record, 'After Laughter' wrapped its despair in neon and tropical bounce, and 'Rose-Colored Boy' distils that tension into three minutes of exasperated refusal. The track addresses someone who insists on blind optimism when the world feels genuinely hopeless, the narrator pushed to the end of her rope by relentless cheerfulness. Hayley Williams sings about killing off what was left of the optimist in her, asking only to be allowed to cry a little longer without the pressure to smile. Released as the fourth single in March 2018, the song captures the album's central conflict between bright surfaces and dark interiors. The lyrics resist the social pressure to appear happy when the feeling isn't there, pushing back against anyone trying to turn genuine distress into a joke. The bridge sharpens the standoff: 'You say my eyes are getting too dark now / But boy, you ain't ever seen my mind.' The band described the track as being about feeling pressured to look at the world with blind optimism when you actually feel very hopeless about the world and your part in it. It's a coming-of-age moment for when the world says you should have it all figured out, but all you've got is the right to stay pissed off if that's what it takes to stay honest.

"Rose-Colored Boy" is a track by Paramore, from the album After Laughter, released 11th May 2017. The track is 3:33 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 20 articles about Paramore.

About the Artist

Paramore

Paramore

Lyrics

Rose-Colored Boy

Low-key, no pressure
Just hang with me and my weather

Low-key, no pressure
Just hang with me and my weather

Rose-colored boy
I hear you making all that noise
About the world you want to see
And oh, I'm so annoyed
'Cause I just killed off what was left of
The optimist in me

But hearts are breaking, and wars are raging on
And I have taken my glasses off
You got me nervous
I'm right at the end of my rope
A half empty girl
Don't make me laugh, I'll choke

Just let me cry a little bit longer
I ain't gon' smile if I don't want to
Hey, man, we all can't be like you
I wish we were all rose-colored too
My rose-colored boy

Low-key, no pressure
Just hang with me and my weather

I want you to stop insisting that I'm not
A lost cause, 'cause I've been through a lot
Really all I've got is just to stay pissed off
If it's all right by you

But hearts are breaking, and wars are raging on
And I have taken my glasses off
You got me nervous
And you're turning it into a joke
A half empty girl
Don't make me laugh, I'll...

Just let me cry a little bit longer
I ain't gon' smile if I don't want to
Hey, man, we all can't be like you
I wish we were all rose-colored too
My rose-colored boy

Leave me here a little bit longer
I think I wanna stay in the car
I don't want anybody seeing me cry now
You say, "We gotta look on the bright side"
I say, "Well, maybe if you wanna go blind"
You say my eyes are getting too dark now
But boy, you ain't ever seen my mind

Just let me cry a little bit longer
I ain't gon' smile if I don't want to
Hey, man, we all can't be like you
I wish we were all rose-colored too
My rose-colored boy

Just let me cry a little bit longer
I ain't gon' smile if I don't want to
I know we all can't be like you
I wish we were all rose-colored too
My rose-colored boy

Low-key, no pressure
Just hang with me and my weather

Low-key, no pressure
Just hang with me and my weather

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From After Laughter

3:332017
Listen
Album
After Laughter
After Laughter
Paramore
12th May 2017
Track number
2
Release year
2017
  1. 1Hard Times
    3:03
  2. 2Rose-Colored Boy
    3:33
  3. 3Told You So
    3:09
  4. 4Forgiveness
    3:40

More from Paramore

Albums & EPs

Re: This Is Why
Re: This Is Why
2023
This Is Why
This Is Why
2023
Paramore (Deluxe Edition)
Paramore (Deluxe Edition)
2013
Paramore
Paramore
2013
Brand New Eyes (Deluxe)
Brand New Eyes (Deluxe)
2009
Brand New Eyes
Brand New Eyes
2009

Explore

More tracks by Paramore

  1. Barely Legal
  2. Big Man, Little Dignity (Re: DOMi & JD BECK)Re: This Is Why
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  3. Burning Down the House
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  4. C'est Comme Ça (Re: Wet Leg)Re: This Is Why
  5. C’est Comme Ça (Re: Wet Leg)Re: This Is Why
    2:25
  6. Crave (Re: Claud)Re: This Is Why
    3:30
  7. David Byrne Does Hard Times
  8. Everywhere
  9. Faces In Disguise
  10. Liar (Re: Romy)Re: This Is Why
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Showing 10 of 20

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5Fake Happy
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  • 12Tell Me How
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    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Hayley Williams, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Producer
    Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Taylor York
    Engineer
    Carlos de la Garza, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Mike Schuppan, Taylor York
    Drums
    Zac Farro
    Guitar
    Taylor York
    Keyboards
    Hayley Williams, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Vocals
    Hayley Williams
    Additional Background Vocals
    Zelly Meldal-Johnsen
    Additional Mixing
    Mike Schuppan, Taylor York
    Assistant Engineer
    Kevin Boettger
    Background Vocals
    Hayley Williams, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Bass Guitar
    Justin Meldal-Johnsen
    Bells
    Zac Farro
    Mastering Engineer
    Dave Cooley
    Mixing Engineer
    Carlos de la Garza
    Percussion
    Hayley Williams, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Programmer
    Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Taylor York
    READ MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMORE
    READ MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMORE
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