“Sneaky, greedy, money seeking / Always peeping, fucking creeping /… What if I had told your mother / Her son was a cruel motherfucker?” Safe to say, alternative pop artist Melanie Martinez is not a fan of ‘the principal.’ “The Principal” appears on Martinez’s 2019 sophomore album, K-12, which uses various aspects of school metaphorically. Hence, The Voice alum isn’t really talking about the supervisor in the school setting. No, she aims bigger, making numerous references throughout “The Principal” aimed at none other than the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. She never mentions him by name but references him and his sketchy policies appear throughout. That’s a lot to atone for.
The first verse, aforementioned, sets the tone, finding Martinez quite profane – angered by the actions of the nameless authoritarian figure. She follows-up on the pre-chorus, mentioning his ugliness (intensified by a f-bomb, of course), and essentially, his evilness. On the chorus, she fully unleashes the ‘principal’ metaphor, but again, has bigger aspirations beyond the school supervisor:
“…Killing kids all day and night, prescription pills and online fights
Shooting at angels while claiming you’re the good guy
All you want is cash and hype
Fuck our dreams and that’s not right
The principal, oh, oh
Oh, where’s the principle?”
The chorus, as well as the final two lines, which hail from the ‘post-chorus,’ has plenty to unpack. The mention of kids finds Martinez digging into drugs, school shootings and violence, while the president is most concerned with money and notoriety. Essentially, she paints him as a Narcissist lacking ‘principles.’ On the second verse, one of the most powerful statements she makes touches on immigration – “By the separation in this place that you’ve created / Fuck all of your rules and guidelines / You shouldn’t even be on the sidelines.” In other words, Martinez makes it clear, he should not be the president.
The big takeaway from “The Principal” is that Melanie Martinez seeks to vent and inform of all the wrongs that are happening under the Trump administration. She portrays him as absolutely terrible, emphasizing his inept policies (“You don’t know the pain that you are causing”), as well as his insensitive rhetoric (“Yeah, your actions hurt, so do your words”). To reiterate, that’s a lot to atone for.
You can learn more about Melanie Martinez here:
About The Curator – Brent Faulkner
Slightly eccentric with interests that seem to know no ends, restless ‘Renaissance Man’ is the best way to characterize Brent Faulkner, a native of Kentucky. A certified music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and composer known for his incredibly sharp ear, he lives and breathes music of a variety of styles. In addition to passion for educating, performing, and writing music, he’s equally passionate blogging and writing about it, managing his own site, The Musical Hype (https://themusicalhype.com). When he’s not intensely analyzing music, you can find him reading or watching a movie, reality television or some sporting event.
