The political meaning behind Olivia Rodrigo's Serena Joy lyrics explained

24 August 2026, 17:43 | Updated: 24 August 2026, 19:04

Olivia Rodrigo Serena Joy lyrics meaning explained. Picture: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images, Alamy / Hulu

By Sam Prance

Who are Olivia Rodrigo's Serena Joy lyrics about? Here's how the Handmaid's Tale inspired her new song.

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Livies assemble! Olivia Rodrigo has just surprise released her song 'serena joy' on streaming, but what is it about?

Olivia may have released you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love in June but the era is far from over. Not only is she heading out on her sold out Unraveled Tour very soon but she is also headlining her Daisy Chain Fields festival this week. Ahead of the show, Olivia also sold 500 copies of her unreleased song 'serena joy' on CD.

Now, Olivia has made the special track available to purchase and stream online to help raise money for the Daisy Chain Fields Fund. Who is Serena Joy though? Here's the meaning behind The Handmaid's Tale-inspired song explained.

Read more: Olivia Rodrigo Daisy Chain Fields ticket prices, presale codes, lineup and more
Read more: Is Olivia Rodrigo releasing a deluxe You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So In Love?

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Olivia's new song 'serena joy' is inspired by The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood which was later turned into a hit Hulu series.

Fans of The Handmaid's Tale will already know that Serena Joy is a villain in the show. She helps uphold the dystopian society of Gilead. As the wife of Commander Fred Waterford, she uses June Osborne as a means to obtain a child.

In 'serena joy', Olivia doesn't mention Serena Joy by name but she does sing explicitly about people who abuse their power and ignore what's going on in the world. She opens the song by singing: Yeah, it's all for the cause / For the good of us all / And if you close your eyes / Then it can't be your fault.

Going further with the Serena Joy metaphor, Olivia adds: While they're out on the streets / Man, we're having a ball and If they do it to them / They'll do it to you. In the story, Serena ends up having her life turned upside down by the Gilead system she helped endorse.

Encouraging fans to speak out, Olivia also sings: If you can't throw a punch / You can learn how to spit / And we'll never give up / And we'll never submit.

Olivia Rodrigo - serena joy (Audio)

Discussing the song in a previous interview with eTalk, Olivia said: "It didn’t fit on [you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love]. The record was very much a chronicle of a relationship—beginning, middle and end. But I hope that it’ll be a part of something else down the line."

What do you think? Are you obsessed with 'serena joy'?

Olivia Rodrigo - 'serena joy' lyrics

VERSE 1
Yeah, it's all for the cause
For the good of us all
And if you close your eyes
Then it can't be your fault
Yeah, it's all for the cause
For the good of us all
Here's a tower we built
Painted gold on the walls
And we'll never be beat
No, we never will fall
While they're out on the streets
Man, we're having a ball

CHORUS
Come in close, come in close
Come a little bit closer
Sing along, sing along
What they tell you to do
Comin' 'round, comin' 'round
Comin' around thе corner
If they do it to them
Thеy'll do it to you
If they do it to them
They're gonna do it to you

VERSE 2
Have a Coke and a smile
In the hot summer bliss
Now go bother your neighbors
While we do what we wish
Have a Coke and a smile
Let me show you a trick
If you can't throw a punch
You can learn how to spit
And we'll never give up
And we'll never submit
Look, the life of your dreams
Is beyond that cliff

CHORUS
Come in close, come in close
Come a little bit closer
Sing along, sing along
What they tell you to do
Comin' 'round, comin' 'round
Comin' around the corner
If they do it to them
They'll do it to you
If they do it to them
They're gonna do it to you

BRIDGE
That's what you
That's what you
What you get, what you get
It's automatic
Go ahead, go ahead
Don't think about it
What you get, what you get, what you get
Rotting in the sunshine
What you get, what you get
It's automatic
Go ahead, go ahead
Don't think about it
What you get, what you get, what you get
Everything is just fine
Everything is just fine Everything is just fine