Posted by Announced a few days before its release, What Was I Made For? is the single released by Billie Eilish on July 13, 2023. As part of the soundtrack of the movie Barbie, set for release in the same month, the track is an emotional descent into Barbie’s psychology while acknowledging herself. The song’s lyrics are full of meaning: let’s discover them in this article; you’ll also find the complete lyrics at the end.
You can watch the official video for Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? below.
What Was I Made For? The song lyrics & meaning
The lyrics of What Was I Made For? are about getting awareness of what we are and our place in the world. Billie Eilish expresses what would be Barbie’s feelings: apparently, Barbie has gained a new understanding of her life and now wonders what her role is. Basically, it’s the philosophic dilemma “Why are we here?” contextualized in Barbie’s individual life.
Following the lyrics of What Was I Made For?, we understand that the protagonist has experienced a growth phase, after which she now needs to understand her life purpose. From some lines, we may guess that Barbie realized she was part of a plastic world, and now she’s wondering why she came to life.
I was an ideal
Looked so alive, turns out, I’m not real
Just something you paid for
What was I made for?
If that’s true, now Barbie must find a new life purpose. A new way to conceive her life, a new perspective. Which means also changing the way you feel about what happens to you.
‘Cause I, I
I don’t know how to feel
But I wanna try
I don’t know how to feel
But someday I might
It’s a sad song, and we cannot exclude that Billie Eilish expressed some personal feelings related to Barbie’s condition. However, What Was I Made For? is not hopeless, and that’s the authentic meaning of its lyrics: in the end, Barbie wants to find out why she’s here. She’s sad now but wants to be happy again. She must only discover what can drive her life in this new phase. “Something she can be.”
Think I forgot how to be happy
Something I’m not, but something I can be
Something I wait for
Something I’m made for
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The complete lyrics
I used to float, now I just fall down
I used to know but I’m not sure now
What I was made for
What was I made for?
Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal
Looked so alive, turns out, I’m not real
Just something you paid for
What was I made for?
‘Cause I, I
I don’t know how to feel
But I wanna try
I don’t know how to feel
But someday I might
Someday I might
When did it end? All the enjoyment
I’m sad again, don’t tell my boyfriend
It’s not what he’s made for
What was I made for?
‘Cause I, ’cause I
I don’t know how to feel
But I wanna try
I don’t know how to feel
But someday I might
Someday I might
Think I forgot how to be happy
Something I’m not, but something I can be
Something I wait for
Something I’m made for
Something I’m made for
