Released: June 3, 2013

Songwriter: Lorde Joel Little

Producer: Joel Little

[Verse 1]
I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address
In a torn-up town, no postcode envy

[Pre-Chorus]
But every song's like
Gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room
We don't care
We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams
But everybody's like
Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don't care
We aren't caught up in your love affair

[Chorus]
And we'll never be royals (Royals)
It don't run in our blood
That kind of luxe just ain't for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (Ruler)
You can call me queen bee
And baby, I'll rule (I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule)
Let me live that fantasy

[Verse 2]
My friends and I, we've cracked the code
We count our dollars on the train to the party
And everyone who knows us knows
That we're fine with this, we didn't come from money

[Pre-Chorus]
But every song's like
Gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room
We don't care
We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams
But everybody's like
Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece
Jet planes, islands, tiger's on a gold leash
We don't care
We aren't caught up in your love affair

[Chorus]
And we'll never be royals (Royals)
It don't run in our blood
That kind of luxe just ain't for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (Ruler)
You can call me queen bee
And baby, I'll rule (I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule)
Let me live that fantasy

[Bridge]
(Oh, oh-oh)
We're bigger than we ever dreamed
And I'm in love with being queen
(Oh, oh-oh)
Life is great without a care
We aren't caught up in your love affair

[Chorus]
And we'll never be royals (Royals)
It don't run in our blood
That kind of luxe just ain't for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (Ruler)
You can call me queen bee
And baby, I'll rule (I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule)
Let me live that fantasy

[Produced by Joel Little]
[Video by Joel Kefali]

Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (b. November 7, 1996), better known by her stage name Lorde, is a pop star hailing from New Zealand. While her earlier music focused on criticizing fame and the “pop star” culture, she grew into it more with her second album while keeping the superb writing she’s known for.

She first became a figure on the international scene with her debut EP The Love Club but didn’t start to blow up until her song “Royals” reached #1 on charts worldwide, including the US. Her use of apt metaphors and allegories at just sixteen made her a revered and intriguing media figure.

Although she was initially written off as a one-hit-wonder, her top-ten second single “Team,” curation of The Hunger Mockingjay soundtrack, and her friendships with other A-listers like Taylor Swift have kept her in the spotlight, as well as general intrigue about new music.