CMAT Coronation Street Meaning and Review

CMAT’s “Coronation Street” is a standout track from her album Euro Country, blending vulnerability with wry humor in a way that has become her signature. The song opens with a slow, acoustic guitar line that immediately sets a reflective, almost melancholic tone. Her voice stretches and sustains across the chords, giving the song a sense of emotional weight and introspection. From the very first note, it is clear that CMAT is exploring personal territory, inviting listeners into her world of late-twenties uncertainty and existential questioning.

Inspiration and Context

The song’s inspiration is rooted in CMAT’s real-life experiences working in Manchester near the iconic soap opera set of Coronation Street. As she explained during Sam Fender’s People Watching tour, the song emerged from the strange juxtaposition of real life and artificial façades. She reflects on the constructed nature of both the street and her own life, noting that even the show’s fake buildings symbolize a feeling of stagnation and unrealized potential. This blend of personal narrative and cultural reference gives the track a uniquely British perspective while maintaining universal relatability for anyone navigating the liminal space of early adulthood.

Lyrics and Themes

Lyrically, “Coronation Street” captures the existential malaise of youth with a mix of humor and despair. Lines like “I spent all my money on things that keep me tired / And give me bingo wings that cannot fly” illustrate CMAT’s ability to transform mundane frustrations into artful, relatable imagery. She juxtaposes everyday anxieties, failed relationships, and the struggle to maintain a sense of purpose with playful self-deprecation, creating a voice that is both honest and endearing. The recurring refrain, “I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me,” becomes a mantra for the alienation and self-consciousness that often define young adulthood.

Emotional Depth

The song’s bridge deepens its introspective quality, with CMAT confronting the sense of missing something vital in her life: “All I do ever is try to figure out what I’m missing / My time collects like a pile of dust in the corner.” Here, she balances humor with melancholy, expressing frustration at both her perceived inaction and the ineffable longing for fulfillment. The reference to the Eiffel Tower in the bridge adds a whimsical touch, highlighting her desire for grandeur and escape amidst the monotony of daily life. These moments give the song an emotional texture that is at once intimate and expansive.

Coronation Street Review

“Coronation Street” is a masterclass in emotional storytelling through music. CMAT transforms personal frustration and the feeling of inertia into a song that is both relatable and cathartic. Its combination of witty lyricism, delicate acoustic instrumentation, and unguarded vulnerability makes it one of the more memorable tracks on Euro Country. By revisiting material she wrote at 23 and allowing it to marinate for seven years, CMAT crafts a song that is reflective, self-aware, and resonant, a poignant meditation on youth, ambition, and the sometimes absurd nature of everyday life.

Listen To CMAT Coronation Street

CMAT Coronation Street Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of Coronation Street by CMAT is a reflection on the stagnation, anxiety, and self-consciousness that can define young adulthood. Through vivid and often humorous imagery, CMAT explores the tension between mundane daily life and the desire for excitement, achievement, and personal fulfillment. The song draws inspiration from her own experiences working in Manchester near the set of the iconic soap opera Coronation Street, using the artificial façades of the show as a metaphor for the illusions and limitations in her own life. Themes of isolation, comparison to others, and the search for meaning are woven throughout the lyrics, creating a blend of introspection, wit, and melancholy that captures the emotional complexities of being 23 and feeling left behind while the world around her moves forward.

Verse 1

CMAT opens “Coronation Street” with a playful yet self-deprecating tone: “Holy smoker I’m such a joker.” The phrase combines humor and surprise, setting the stage for a reflective exploration of personal insecurities. She continues, “I spent all my money on things that keep me tired,” capturing the sense of self-sabotage and the emotional fatigue caused by impulsive spending. The next lines, “And give me bingo wings / That cannot fly but keep me up all night,” use wordplay to convey anxiety over body image. While the wings cannot lift her physically, they metaphorically “keep her up” as worries about her appearance disrupt sleep. This mix of humor and poignancy establishes the song’s blend of relatability and wit. The verse continues with “What’s another Dorito to those whose life just still hasn’t started yet,” using a trivial snack as a metaphor for fleeting comforts amidst a sense of stagnation. The refrain, “I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me,” crystallizes the theme of isolation and the feeling of being left behind while peers thrive.

Verse 2

In the second verse, CMAT reflects on exhaustion and emotional detachment: “I’m too tired to make my dinner and / I think I’m too tired to fall asleep.” The repetition emphasizes the cyclical nature of inactivity and restlessness. She expresses fleeting concern about a relationship with “I think my boyfriend hates me / If I’m being honest, that’s not deep,” highlighting self-awareness and the triviality of certain anxieties compared to deeper existential dissatisfaction. The lines “I don’t really care about him / I can’t care about anyone but me” convey emotional introspection and self-preservation, focusing on understanding oneself rather than investing in others. The verse closes with whimsical imagery: “There’s a missing part inside that I misplaced while going for ice cream / Ice cream.” Ice cream symbolizes small comforts that fail to fill a larger emotional void, with repetition adding absurdity and playfulness.

Bridge

The bridge further explores longing and stagnation: “All I do ever is try to figure out what I’m missing.” This line articulates a sense of searching for meaning or fulfillment. CMAT expands on the imagery of wasted potential with “My time collects like a pile of dust in the corner / Of the room where I spend all my time,” evoking neglect and the passage of time without progress. The bridge juxtaposes mundane life with grand aspirations: “Where I eat and sleep and dream and pine for / Oh, the Eiffel Tower / Any kind of power at all.” The Eiffel Tower represents ambition, escape, and experiences that feel distant, while the desire for “any kind of power” underscores frustration with feeling powerless in both personal and broader contexts.

Verse 3

In the third verse, CMAT revisits earlier lines, reinforcing the cyclical nature of her behaviors and emotions: “Holy smoker I’m such a joker / Spent all my money on things that keep me tired.” She adds a layer of inherited body image concerns with “And learn to hate the wings my mother gave me,” linking self-perception to familial influence. The verse continues with sharp social commentary and personal reflection: “Oh lord what a life / I’m just a barmaid with no lines / That lives on Coronation Street.” This imagery blends personal frustration with the soap opera reference, portraying a sense of invisibility, lack of agency, and stagnation akin to the artificial façades of the show. The refrain returns, “I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me,” reaffirming feelings of alienation and self-consciousness.

Outro

The outro repeats the refrain, “I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me / I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me,” functioning as a mantra of disillusionment. Its repetition emphasizes the universality of the emotional state described throughout the song, leaving a lingering sense of longing, introspection, and the absurdity of mundane yet emotionally weighty experiences.

CMAT Coronation Street Lyrics

[Verse 1]

Holy smoker I’m such a joker

I spent all my money on things that keep me tired

And give me bingo wings

That cannot fly but keep me up all night

What’s another Dorito to those whose life just still hasn’t started yet

I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me

[Verse 2]

I’m too tired to make my dinner and

I think I’m too tired to fall asleep

I think my boyfriend hates me

If I’m being honest, that’s not deep

I don’t really care about him

I can’t care about anyone but me

There’s a missing part inside that I misplaced while going for ice cream

Ice cream

[Bridge]

All I do ever is try to figure out what I’m missing

My time collects like a pile of dust in the corner

Of the room where I spend all my time

Where I eat and sleep and dream and pine for

Oh, the Eiffel Tower

Any kind of power at all

[Verse 3]

Holy smoker I’m such a joker

Spent all my money on things that keep me tired

And learn to hate the wings my mother gave me

Oh lord what a life

I’m just a barmaid with no lines

That lives on Coronation Street

I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me

[Outro]

I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me

I’m 23 and everyone is having fun except for me