Melanie Martinez - Tag You're It Lyrics Meaning

I think that Tag You’re It is about rape/sexual assault. In the first part of the lyrics, the “boy” in the lyrics seems to be stalking and trying to lure Melanie. In the chorus, there’s one line that says “he chased me and he wouldn’t stop”, which could refer to the persistence of rapists. “He” also pushes Melanie down according to the lyrics, which further suggests that it’s some sort of sexual assault. In addition, two lines start with “can anybody hear me”, which may refer to how people don’t hear the cries of help from the victims, or ignore them because they don’t want to be involved. There’s also a line further in the song that says, “if she screams don’t let her go”, which could suggest rapists continuing their actions despite the victim’s screaming.

To play tag, someone has to be ‘it’. If they touch/‘catch’ someone else and say “tag, you’re it”, that someone else would be ‘it’. Talking about rape/sexual assault through tag would mean that the rapist is ‘it’ and they’re trying to catch the victim to rape them.