Is This How We End Up? (Born Again Boys Dressed Like Girls)

Gasoline Heart's song 'Is This How We End Up? (Born Again Boys Dressed Like Girls)' delves into the disillusionment and existential questioning that often accompany modern life. The opening lines, 'Is this how we end up? Stoned and out of touch,' set a tone of disconnection and confusion. The imagery of 'holding candles in the rain' and 'asking God why our light went away' suggests a search for meaning and a sense of loss, as if the light or purpose that once guided them has faded away.

The song critiques the superficiality and artificiality of contemporary culture. Lines like 'Hide behind song and hide behind dance, trading truth for this cheap romance' highlight how people often mask their true selves with entertainment and shallow relationships. The phrase 'modern man advances' is repeated, perhaps ironically, to underscore the idea that despite technological and societal progress, there is a regression in genuine human connection and authenticity.

The chorus, 'Born again boys dressed like girls, trading art for cheap plastic pearls,' is a powerful metaphor for the loss of originality and the commodification of identity. It suggests that people are adopting superficial identities and sacrificing true artistic expression for mass-produced, valueless trinkets. The lines 'making records and breaking hearts, borrowing other bands' creative parts' further emphasize the lack of originality and the tendency to copy rather than create. The song concludes with a personal reflection, 'Since the start of me, I have no need for you,' indicating a sense of self-reliance but also a bitter acknowledgment of isolation. The 'bitter pills' and 'convenient truth' point to the uncomfortable realities that people often choose to ignore in favor of easier, more palatable lies.