[verse 1] i told you i was trouble before you knew my middle name said i'm bad at being faithful but i'm excellent at shame you said, "is that a warning?" i said, "darling, it's a theme" every flaw's a conversation piece in my beautifully appointed dream i've got commitment issues framed in gold a little jealousy in blue my inability to compromise really ties the room together, too [pre-chorus] i don't hide my imperfections i arrange them by design if i tell you where the danger is the responsibility's not mine [chorus] my red flags are decorative baby, don't they catch the light? all my worst characteristics look incredible at night i'm a walking bad decision with impeccable aesthetics you can call it self-destruction i call it eclectic my red flags are decorative [verse 2] i've got trauma in the foyer and avoidance down the hall there's a lovely little portrait of me blaming you for all the things i said i'd work on when we first began to date but i've labeled every problem so technically it's not a bait you say, "knowing doesn't fix it" i say, "no, but isn't it chic?" [pre-chorus] i've been honest from the outset that's the virtue i possess and if you chose to love the mess well, who's responsible for that mess? [chorus] my red flags are decorative baby, don't they catch the light? all my worst characteristics look incredible at night i'm a walking bad decision with impeccable aesthetics you can call it self-destruction i call it eclectic my red flags are decorative [bridge: bass and whispered vocal, suddenly intimate] you said you thought that i would change i said, "why would you assume?" i showed you every warning sign before you entered the room [brief silence] but sometimes late at night when all the pretty lights go dim i wonder if the flags are there to keep you out—or keep me in [one sustained synth note; the beat returns] [spoken, with a smile] anyway, the lighting's better from this angle. [final chorus: lush strings, layered harmonies, glittering guitars] my red flags are decorative baby, don't they catch the light? all my worst characteristics look incredible at night i'm a walking bad decision with impeccable aesthetics you can call it self-destruction i call it eclectic my red flags are decorative every warning custom-made and if you say i never told you well, i've got the receipts displayed [outro: bass groove, strings fading] i don't believe in hiding flaws i believe in presentation if honesty's the best policy i deserve a standing ovation
