Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: garage
Song Meaning of “Daughter of a Cop” by Elvis Depressedly
“Daughter of a Cop” is a song about the struggles of growing up with an authoritative father who’s a police officer. It opens with a description of the singer’s home life, how their father sets strict expectations for them yet still loves them, and their attempts to live up to those expectations while still expressing themselves. The singer then goes on to explain their frustrations with being judged constantly and misunderstood, feeling as though their identity and creativity is being stifled by their father’s need to protect them and keep them out of harm’s way. The song culminates with the singer accepting their place in this difficult relationship and their understanding that their father, despite his relentless rules, still loves them just as much as any other parent would. In the end, the singer reconciles with their father’s heavily enforced ideas of safety and the ability to find harmony in spite of their polarizing views.
The lyrics reflect the internal conflict of wanting to fit into society’s definitions of a “good child” while still having a part of themselves that wants to be different and exist on their own terms. The chorus made up of the lines: “Every night before bed you don’t believe me/I’m trying so hard just to follow your dreams,” sums this up nicely. The singer wants to make their father proud but still dreams of a bigger future that’s untethered to their father’s rules and regulations.