[Intro: Lana Del Rey & Mountain]
Why? (Got that?)
Who? Me? (Louder)
Why? (Got that?)


[Verse 1: Lana Del Rey, Mountain]
Feet don't fail me now, take me to the finish line
Oh, my heart, it breaks every step that I take
But I'm hoping that the gates, they'll tell me that you're mine
Walking through the city streets, is it by mistake or design?
I feel so alone on a Friday night
Can you make it feel like home if I tell you you're mine?
It's like I told you, honey (Louder)

[Pre-Chorus]
Don't make me sad, don't make me cry
Sometimes, love is not enough
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep makin' me laugh, let's go get high
The road is long, we carry on
Try to have fun in the meantime


[Chorus: Lana Del Rey, Mountain]
Come and take a walk on the wild side
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain
You like your girls insane (Louder, alright)
Choose your last words, this is the last time
'Cause you and I, we were born to die
[Pre-Chorus]
So don't make me sad, don't make me cry
Sometimes, love is not enough
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep makin' me laugh, let's go get high
The road is long, we carry on
Try to have fun in the meantime


[Chorus: Lana Del Rey, Mountain]
Come and take a walk on the wild side
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain
You like your girls insane (Louder, alright)
Choose your last words, this is the last time
'Cause you and I, we were born to die

[Outro: Lana Del Rey, Mountain]
(Louder)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
We were born to die
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(Louder)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(Louder)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(Louder)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(We were born to die, we were born to die)
(Got that?)
(Louder)

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

“Born to Die” is described by Lana Del Rey as a “homage to true love and a tribute to living life on the wild side.” To quote Chelsea Hodson from New York Times, “In [Lana’s] melancholy world, to love is to live, so to love the wrong person is to be “born to die.”

It is the opening track from her studio album of the same name, released as the second single from the LP.

The music video was released on December 14th, 2011, receiving generally positive reviews. She spoke with MTV about its background:

For “Born To Die,” I wrote a treatment for it called “The Lonely Queen,” so that I would be in a setting that represented Heaven, sort of in like a remote castle in Romania. Walking through the halls flanked by tigers. And then she’d be flashing back to happier times in the arms of her love. And then Yoann Lemoine adapted that treatment and made it more doable. But I love that video. I really do. I can’t believe it turned out so beautifully. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I wanted it to go.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Lana Del Rey say about "Born To Die"?
Genius Answer

According to Songfacts, Lana confirmed the song was about her boyfriend in an interview for Q Magazine:

When I found someone that made me feel really happy, that was so different to the way I’d felt before in my life.

Who is the man in the cover art?
Genius Answer

The man in the cover art and the music video is model Bradley Soileau, who also appeared in Lana’s “West Coast” music video.

Live Performance
Genius Answer

Yes! Lana performed “Born To Die” live at Poolside at Chateau on December 10th, 2011.


Live at Glastobury 2023
Credits
Produced By
Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Video Director
Keyboards
Strings Assistant
Strings Arranger
Vocal Producer
Assistant Mixing Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Additional Vocals
Additional Recording
Release Date
December 30, 2011
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