The Unrealistic Standard of Fictional Characters [A Song]

This book is very much bookish even though it isn't based off a specific book.

Typicaly, when I write a song, I've got a book in mind and it goes one of two ways. Either, I'll write a song that's a recap of the things that happened in the book, like The Flaw. Or, I'll take a strong emotion from the book and write an entire song about it - like my song about TFioS. This time, I went a completely different route.

I can't remember the specific book that led to this song, unfortunately. However, after I read it, I started thinking about the characterization of romance was done in some books. It was originally going to be a discussion post - about how books have raised my expectations of what a guy should be like [i.e. flawless.] But then, I got the part of the song that's now the hook stuck in my head and I figured, let's vent out in a song.

I noticed that a lot of fictional guys in [badly written] stories are written to "do everything" for the main character, thus stunting her growth. [I realize that it can be a gender swap but since I'm a girl, I wrote this about girls.] One major example I can think of is Twilight. And then basically, this song is about how fictional guys make it close to impossible to like real ones because those books give an impression that guys should be flawless and do everything for us. Lots of metaphors hehe, that's how I operate - if you don't understand, let me know!


Also, listen to the song while looking at the lyrics because sometimes I can't understand what an artist is saying and I would hate to be the person who gives you that problem.

Lyrics

(1ST VERSE)
You always know what to say,
How to keep her believing,
Tell me why.
Tell me why.
Yes, I'm talking to the smooth talking, no good, "Charming."

A Mr. Perfect like you,
Could do a lot better.
And she's a child,
She's a child.
I read this thing on how we always look for someone who's as messed up as we are and so, why would someone who's perfect go for an immature girl? That setup never made sense to me.

(PRE-CHORUS)
How come the girls in the stories,
Are the ones with the flaws?
And the boys are expected to be,
I don't mean to generalize - it's specifically about the stories I've read - not all of them in their entirety.

The ones with all of the answers,
Well that's now how it goes,
If this were real, it would not end happy.
I personally cannot see how people can be happy having a guy do everything for them while they don't develop as a character at all. They're stuck in a shelf life. [I never say, "shelf life" in the song, but it seems like a perfect title.]

(CHORUS) 
And it sounds like what you say,
Is written by a master with a pen,
And the urge to lie,
I'm talking to the "perfect" character who has his/her lines written for them so they can make readers swoon. Master with a pen is the author.

To teenage girls with hopes and dreams,
If a perfect match is what you seek,
You'll find them where the writers sleep.
Fantasizing 'bout a love that's not their own.
Double entendre. "The urge to lie to teenage girls" is a continuation of the previous lyric but because there's a break, it sounds like I'm addressing teenage girls specifically. These perfect characters exist in the brains of the writers [and readers, too!] where they write love stories. The last line is just another way to say "story" without flat out saying it. 

(2ND VERSE)
You know the girl in the story,
The one that's locked in a tower?
Look around.
Where's your key?
Now, I'm talking to the girl in the equation. That her prince charming is actually limiting her.

'Cause all you ever are is words on a paper,
So why are you real to me?
And I've switched perspectives again, and this one is all about me; the reader.

(PRE-CHORUS)
I'm sorry my expectations of a guy I would date,
Climbed higher 'cause of the fiction I read.
It's getting boring to hear about how you got the girl,
When neither you or the girl have personality.
This is my fave part of the song and the only real, straightforward part, in my opinion. I like to sing in metaphors but the part that I want people to remember is usually flat out easy to understand. 

(CHORUS)
And it sounds like what you say,
Is written by a master with a pen,
And the urge to lie,

To teenage girls with hopes and dreams,
If a perfect match is what you seek,
You'll find them where the writers sleep.
Fantasizing 'bout a love that's not their own.

To teenage boys who hate to read,
Maybe in a way, you're the lucky one.
'Cause you don't expect,
You see, you get,
Fantasizing 'bout the girl who walked you home.
I've seen teenage guys and even though a lot of them are assholes, they typically go after girls they know they have a shot with - unlike me, who goes after fictional characters. So maybe they're the lucky ones.

(BRIDGE)
Could it be better off this way?
Are we entitled to the finer things?
Should we, should we, should we,
Drive away?
Is it better that my standards are so unrealistically high? Or should I just let go of them and "date down?" [I have no interest in dating now, I'm just speaking figuratively.]

In a land that's not our home,
We felt the soil beneath our toes,
And now,
I want you back on the shelf.
Oh high fantasy, you have a spot in this song. I had the idea from the imagery of someone standing barefoot in the woods. But it wasn't on Earth... dun dun dun.

(ALTN CHORUS)
'Cause it sounds like what you say,
Is a script to sound perfect.
Even mortal flaws deserve a place,
On the highest shelves we cannot reach.
The first two lines are the recurring theme. The last two are about how even books with flawed characters deserve a place on the bestseller's list. 

So, to teenage girls with hopes and dreams,
If a perfect match is what you need,
So you don't end up on empty streets,
Fantasize about a life that's not your own.
This was the first part of the song I wrote. I had the idea for this dark ending but also not too dark. It's practically the same hook but I changed a few words [which are in italics]  and to me, it makes all the difference. 
 

Oh, what are your thoughts on this one? I chose to do this because I didn't want to do a discussion post. However, let's treat it like one! What do you think about the unrealistic standards of fictional characters in some books? How all the guys are sweet - or maybe how a girl goes to a new school and every male character [and some female - I have to assume] is in love with her?