Scab and Plaster

Scab and Plaster
Unofficial cover art
General Information
Title	Scab and Plaster
Recorded	2010
Album	die Life [scrapped album]
Type	Unreleased
Length	4:34
Key + BPM	B♭ / A# Minor • 130
Credits
Artist	Marina and the Diamonds
Writer(s)	Marina Diamandis Greg Kurstin
Producer(s)	Greg Kurstin

Scab and Plaster is an unreleased song by Marina Diamandis, intended for her scrapped second album, die Life.

It was written by Marina and Greg Kurstin, who also produced the track.

Background

On July 16, 2010, Diamandis tweeted a line from the song, anticipating a track from her then new project: "You keep picking the scab and i'll keep selling the plaster."

In March 2012, Marina told PlanetNotion:

❝ I really don't know. [In response to releasing Scab and Plaster] I actually don't feel like it was part of the concept at all. It seemed like a throw-back from The Family Jewels... We'll see what we can do with it. ❞

In 2022, during the Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land Tour, Marina joked about setlist requests with the audience, specifically mentioning E.V.O.L and Scab and Plaster as popular requests, adding she would play them "one day, maybe". However this did not occur.

Registration

Scab and Plaster was once registered on ASCAP/BMI, and four times on registry site GEMA, the first three times under the title "Scab & Plaster", and under the status "2", which indicates a work not yet distributable. Greg Kurstin was credited as a co-writer of the second and third demos, and the final version.

"Scab and Plaster" was last registered under the status "1", which indicates a distributable work, and given an ISWC number.

Trivia

• The song shares similar melodies with Like the Other Girls.
• Scab and Plaster is possibly the only leaked unreleased song by Marina to have nearly two million views on YouTube.

Official Versions

Note:

Originally the final was leaked in low quality, leading it to be labelled Demo 4. In older masterposts, Demo 3 and "4" tend to be switched, the legitimate demo 3 features a fade-out outro.

	Version	Released on	Date	Length
	Final	N/A - Unreleased	Leaked: ~Sept 2011 OG File: 15 Jan 2023	4:38
Demos
	Demo 1	N/A - Demo	Leaked: ~Sept 2011	2:25
	Demo 2	N/A - Demo	Leaked: ~Mar 2011	4:48
	Demo 3	N/A - Demo	Leaked:	4:34

Lyrics

• Final Version
• Demo 1
• Demo 2
• Demo 3

[Verse 1]
I stepped into a room of clocks
That all told different times
I stepped into a mirrored world
That mirrored all our crimes

You keep picking at the scab
And I keep selling the plaster
You keep telling me that I'm bad
But I keep on getting better faster

[Pre-Chorus 1]
You hold me down and you hold me up
You can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Verse 2]
I'm goin', I'm goin' to Heaven
I'm goin', I'm goin' to Hell
If nobody could see
I'd hold my hand out to be held

[Pre-Chorus 2]
You hold me down and you hold me up
I can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Bridge]
You keep picking at the scab
So I'll keep on settling the plaster
And you, you think I'm bad
So I keep on getting better faster

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Chorus 2]
I've lost, I've lost my confidence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I sailed a thousand seas

[Post-Chorus 2]
You tell me what to say and wear
You say that it's because you care
But I prefer to be alone
Than live a life that's not my own

Oh, oh, oh
(Alone, alone, alone, alone, alone)
(Alone, alone, alone, alone, alone)
(Alone)

[Verse 1]
I stepped into a room of clocks
That all told different times
I stepped into a mirrored world
That mirrored all our crimes

[Chorus]
You keep picking at the scab
And I keep selling the plaster
Keep telling me that I'm bad
And I'll keep on getting better faster

[Post-Chorus 1]
You hold me down and you hold me up
You can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Verse 2]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And from the cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Verse 3]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh Daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up to bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

Hm, oh, ah, ah

[Verse 4]
I'm goin', I'm goin' to heaven
I'm goin', I'm goin' to hell
I walk around like a child
Hold my hand out to be held

Chorus
You keep picking at the scab
And I keep selling the plaster
You keep telling me that I'm bad
And I keep on getting better faster

[Post Chorus]
You hold me down and you hold me up
You can't communicate
Brought me up but you bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Verse 1]
I stepped into a room of clocks
That all told different times
I stepped into a mirrored world
That mirrored all our crimes

You keep picking at the scab
And I keep selling the plaster
You keep telling me that I'm bad
But I keep on getting better faster

[Pre-Chorus]
You hold me down and you hold me up
You can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Verse 2]
I'm goin', I'm goin' to Heaven
I'm goin', I'm goin' to Hell
If nobody could see
I'd hold my hand out to be held

I wish that you could just admit
That you did bad things too
Instead of criticising me
So I don't look at you

[Pre-Chorus]
You hold me down and you hold me up
I can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Bridge]
You keep picking at the scab
So I'll keep on selling the plaster
And you, you think I'm bad
So I keep on getting better faster

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Chorus 2]
I've lost, I've lost my confidence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus 2]
You tell me what to say and wear
You say that it's because you care
But I prefer to be alone
Than live a life that's not my own

Oh, oh, oh

[Verse 1]
I stepped into a room of clocks
That all told different times
I stepped into a mirrored world
That mirrored all our crimes

You keep picking at the scab
And I keep selling the plaster
You keep telling me that I'm bad
But I keep on getting better faster

[Pre-Chorus]
You hold me down and you hold me up
You can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Verse 2]
I'm goin', I'm goin' to Heaven
I'm goin', I'm goin' to Hell
If nobody could see
I'd hold my hand out to be held

[Pre-Chorus]
You hold me down and you hold me up
I can't communicate
You brought me up just to bring me down
I've nothing left to say

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Bridge]
You keep picking at the scab
So I'll keep on selling the plaster
And you, you think I'm bad
So I'll keep on getting better faster

[Chorus]
I've lost, I've lost my innocence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I've found instant relief

[Post-Chorus]
You hold me down, you hold me up
Oh daddy, are we out of luck?
You brought me up, you bring me down
You shut me in, you shut me out

[Chorus 2]
I've lost, I've lost my confidence
I've found my self-belief
And in a cup of loneliness
I sailed a thousand seas

[Post-Chorus 2]
You tell me what to say and wear
You say that it's because you care
But I prefer to be alone
Than live a life that's not my own

Oh, oh, oh

References

Tour ♡ Merch ♡ Photography ♡ Tumblr ♡ 'The Archetypes' ♡ die Life ♡ Collaborators
Discography
Releases	Electra Heart
Tracklist	Bubblegum Bitch ♡ Primadonna ♡ Lies ♡ Homewrecker ♡ Starring Role ♡ The State of Dreaming ♡ Power & Control ♡ Living Dead ♡ Teen Idle ♡ Valley of the Dolls ♡ Hypocrates ♡ Fear and Loathing ♡ Radioactive ♡ Sex Yeah ♡ Lonely Hearts Club ♡ Buy the Stars ♡ How to Be a Heartbreaker ♡ E.V.O.L ♡ Electra Heart
Non-Album
Outtakes	Double Life ♡ Eternity
Interludes	Su-Barbie-A ♡ The Archetypes
die Life	Miss Y ♡ Scab and Plaster
Misc	Boyfriend ♡ Bump in the Night ♡ Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ♡ Just Desserts
Other Eras
Mermaid vs. Sailor • The Family Jewels • Electra Heart • FROOT • LOVE + FEAR • Ancient Dreams • Sixth Studio Album (Upcoming)