What does Wheels on the Bus mean?

Melanie Martinez: Wheels on the Bus Meaning

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Album cover for Wheels on the Bus album cover

Wheels on the Bus Lyrics

I'm just looking out the window and it's cold outside
There are two boys yelling behind me and I'm terrified
Counting trees as they pass me by
And I'm trying not to look across the aisle
'Cause Maya's letting Dan put his hand up her...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Jun 30th 2020 !⃝

    The literal theme is that the bus driver ignores what her classmates are doing. But I think it’s more about how so many people are doing bad things in the world, but the authority figures notice and don’t do anything.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2020 !⃝

    This songs talks about how Crybaby's classmates are acting inappropriately, but the bus driver doesn't do anything about it even though he can see them. This may also talk about how by-standers feel: They're too shy/nervous to speak up, and feel uncomfortable surrounded by people acting inappropriately. That, and partially how authorities won't always do something when something is going on and just ignore it instead.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Nov 16th 2019 !⃝

    I’m not 100% sure about this theory but I’ll still put it out there. I think it’s about being in a chaotic society. Crybaby is sitting there while everyone is being insane but she’s bored, which shows that in her world all that behavior was normal. She wants to be accepted but she doesn’t want to give in to the craziness. As a quiet kid, you notice almost everything that goes on around you. But all of the things that go on in the bus are things that happen in our society. This is why I believe she is trying to portray how quiet, shy people feel in our crazy world. Thanks for reading!

  4. anonymous
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    Sep 3rd 2022 !⃝

    In this song, many of the students are doing inappropriate things on the bus (e.g. making out, sexual touching, smoking, etc) while Crybaby and Angelita are sitting and witnessing everything around them. The driver doesn’t care either - he’s a pedophile, and at the end when the wind blows he looks at Crybaby’s and Angelita’s butts only to see a message saying f**k off. Crybaby and Angelita are fully aware of everything, and the driver who knows what’s happening and doesn’t care.
    I think this song is about the inappropriate things kids/young adults are doing nowadays.
    Sorry if I got anything incorrect!

  5. anonymous
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    Jun 16th 2022 !⃝

    This song is about vulgar/inappropriate activity in public that nobody cares about. They either ignore it or join in. In the MV, Cry Baby notices everyone on the bus doing inappropriate (two sweethearts masturbating each other "Cause Maya's letting Dan put his hand/Up her skirt and she's got her hand down his pants), illegal (smoking marijuana "Now imma light it up and pass it/Puff, puff, and pass it/Don't be a dick and baby say come on and pass it over here), or downright stupid (pressing your anus on the window (tf?) "Cause Jason's got his ass in the glass) activities on the bus.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    May 10th 2022 !⃝

    I think that it's about shy people seeing everyone being inappropriate and chaotic. The adult (the bus driver) is doing nothing even doe they see it, adults just ignore it. And Crybaby (Melanie's character) is getting bullied by the louder kids and since she is shy, she can't say anything or do anything, plus the adults do Absaloutly Nothing. Thank you for reading <3

  7. anonymous
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    Apr 30th 2022 !⃝

    This song is about how teachers don’t do anything about bullying or students’ inappropriate behaviors. It’s as if students have no supervision and the guardian isn’t watching them or caring what they do. While Melanie is on a bus with loud students, she’s anxiously waiting for time to pass by since the adult watching them won’t do anything or stop the chaos.

  8. anonymous
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    May 31st 2021 !⃝

    I reckon it's to do with anxiety. She's sitting their doing and saying nothing just observing her surroundings. She's full aware of everyone's behaviours. They are all chaotic.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 24th 2021 !⃝

    I personally think wheels on the bus is about how frightening it is for cry baby seeing all these things happen around her and that no one ever listens when she try to reach out for help, I think it shows how oblivious people are to bullying and that no one really cares. It shows they only care as long as you have good grades and nothing affects them personally.

  10. anonymous
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    Mar 22nd 2020 !⃝

    This song is about the kids on her bus acting crazy, the bus driver sees it and chooses to ignore, it says in the song: “i know the drivers sees it, i know he’s peeking, in the rear view mirror he say nothing”

  11. crybabyy
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    Dec 22nd 2019 !⃝

    I don’t know the full meaning of the song but I do know (not for sure), the driver is meant to be pedophile as he is watching maya and dan make out and be just generally ew. The driver also dosen’t care about smoking, drugs, bullying ect. This
    theory goes with the lines, “I know the driver sees it, I know he’s peeking. In the rear view mirror, he says nothing.”
    This probably makes no sense sooo-

  12. anonymous
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    Nov 26th 2019 !⃝

    This song is probably singing about being lonely on the school bus, the kid nobody talks to. Everyone else is crazy with their friends and she's all alone.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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