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Lyrics analysis with age appropriateness assessment

Soma

Artist: The Strokes

Album: Is This It

Contains themes requiring parental guidance
Contains themes requiring parental guidance

Minimum age: Age 13+

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Detailed Analysis

These lyrics are abstract and poetic in nature, making interpretation somewhat open-ended. The most notable concern is the reference to 'Soma,' which is both a real sedative/muscle relaxant and a fictional euphoric drug from Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World,' suggesting possible drug use as a coping mechanism for hardship. The line 'Tried it once and they liked it / Then tried to hide it / Says I've been doing this twenty-five years' strongly implies habitual substance use or dependency, which reinforces the drug/addiction theme. Beyond that, the lyrics explore emotional themes such as relationship tension, a sense of being stuck ('stop and go'), and longing. There is no explicit profanity, sexual content, or graphic violence. The overall tone is melancholic and introspective, dealing with themes of escapism, emotional disconnection, and possibly peer pressure around substance use. These are mature enough themes to warrant parental guidance for younger audiences, but the content is not so graphic as to require an 18+ rating.

Themes
substance use
addiction
escapism
emotional disconnection
relationship tension
peer pressure
longing
coping mechanisms
identity

Read more about this analysis and how we do it »

Lyrics

Soma is what they would take when Hard times opened their eyes Saw pain in a new way High stakes for a few names Racing against sunbeams Losing against fig dreams In your eyes And I am Stop And go In your eyes Said I am Stop And go In your eyes Let's go When I saw her for the first time Lips moved as her eyes closed Heard something in his voice "And I'll be there," he says Then he walks out Somehow he was trying too hard To be like them Well I am Stop And go In your eyes And I am Stop Oh, darling let me go Tried it once and they liked it Then tried to hide it Says, "I've been doing this twenty-five years" Well I'm not listening no more And these friends, they keep asking for more Oh yeah, oh but that's it


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Analysis performed on July 9, 2026
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