The song “Teeth” by 5 Seconds of Summer is a raw, industrial-strength exploration of a dangerously toxic relationship. It dives deep into the psychology of a person addicted to a volatile, push-pull dynamic. The song’s central meaning is about a love that is predatory, a partner who is both seductive and dangerous. It is a love that has “teeth,” and the protagonist is a willing victim, unable to let go even though he knows it might destroy him.
Released in 2019, “Teeth” was a significant single from 5SOS’s fourth album, CALM. The song marked a continued evolution in their sound, moving further from their pop-punk roots into a darker, more industrial and funk-driven rock. It’s a sound that is as aggressive and unsettling as the subject matter it describes.
The Dark Context: 13 Reasons Why and Tom Morello
To fully grasp the song’s meaning, its context is crucial. “Teeth” was prominently featured on the soundtrack for Season 3 of the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why. This show is known for its intense and dark themes, including trauma, manipulation, and death. The song’s inclusion is a powerful statement. It was chosen to score a world of pain and complex, unhealthy relationships, confirming that this is not a simple song about a passionate romance.
Musically, the track features a blistering guitar solo from Tom Morello, the legendary guitarist for Rage Against the Machine. This collaboration is not just a high-profile feature; it is a sonic choice. Morello’s chaotic, aggressive, and almost violent guitar style perfectly mirrors the song’s themes of conflict, danger, and internal chaos. The music sounds like the relationship feels.
What the Band Has Said
The band, particularly drummer Ashton Irwin, has described the album CALM as exploring the “lighter side of darkness” and the anxieties of young adulthood. Irwin has spoken about “Teeth” as a song that describes the “highs and lows” of a tumultuous relationship. He explained that it’s about being so in love with the high points that you are willing to endure the destructive low points. It’s about that cycle of fighting and making up, a dynamic that can become a dangerous addiction.
Verse 1: The Jekyll and Hyde Partner
The song opens by immediately establishing the partner’s central role in the protagonist’s life. He sings that on some days, she is the only thing he knows. This line reveals a deep co-dependency. His world has shrunk, and she is the focal point of his entire existence.
This partner is his only source of warmth when the nights grow cold. This “burning” is a powerful dual-image. On one hand, she is a fire, providing passion, life, and heat in a world that feels empty and cold without her. On the other hand, fire is inherently dangerous. It burns, it destroys, and it is painful to touch. He is drawn to this fire, knowing he will get burned.
This obsession is so total that he cannot look away. He is mesmerized by her, even when she is in her destructive phase. He finds himself begging her to stay, showing his desperation. He has lost all his power in the dynamic; he is now a beggar, pleading for her presence even if it causes him pain.
The song then introduces the core conflict. Sometimes, she is a stranger in his bed. This is a chilling metaphor for her emotional volatility. The person he loves disappears, replaced by someone cold, distant, and unrecognizable. This is the “Jekyll and Hyde” nature of his partner.
This shift is so extreme that he doesn’t know if she loves him or if she wants him dead. This is not a typical breakup anxiety. It’s a genuine fear for his well-being. The relationship is so volatile that love and a desire for his destruction seem equally possible. This line elevates the song from a simple toxic relationship to one that feels physically dangerous.
The verse ends by describing the classic push-pull mechanic. She pushes him away, creating distance and conflict. Then, just as he is about to leave, she begs him to stay. This is the cruel cycle that traps him. He is constantly thrown off balance, never allowed to feel stable or secure.
Pre-Chorus: The Thrill of the Danger
The pre-chorus reveals the protagonist’s twisted psychological state. The cycle of conflict is now predictable. She calls him in the morning to apologize. This is the classic “honeymoon phase” in a cycle of abuse. The fight is followed by apologies and promises that it will not happen again.
The next line is one of the most important in the song. He admits that every little lie gives him butterflies. He knows he is being manipulated. He knows the apologies are not sincere. But he is so addicted to the drama that the lies themselves have become exciting.
The feeling of “butterflies,” which is normally associated with new, innocent love, has been perverted. For him, it is now a feeling of anxiety, risk, and thrill. He is addicted to the danger. He gets a rush from the very thing that is hurting him.
He then describes a “something” in the way she looks through his eyes. This is a powerful choice of words. She does not look at his eyes; she looks through them. This suggests a cold, predatory, and almost inhuman gaze. She is not seeing him as a person; she is seeing him as an object, something to be controlled.
This gaze is so intense and unsettling that it leads him to a terrifying conclusion. He does not know if he is going to make it out alive. This line is the climax of the verse. It confirms the “want me dead” fear. The stakes of this relationship are, in his mind, life and death.
Chorus: The Central Metaphor of “Teeth”
The chorus is a perfect, concise summary of the entire relationship. He states that they “fight so dirty” but she “loves so sweet.” This is the core addiction. The fights are “dirty,” meaning they are cruel, below-the-belt, and designed to wound. But the reconciliation, the “love,” is “sweet” enough to make the pain worth it. It is a drug-like high.
Then comes the central metaphor. She “talks so pretty” but her “heart got teeth.” Her words are beautiful, seductive, and convincing. She can disarm him with her apologies and declarations of love. But her true nature, her “heart,” is predatory. It is like a wild animal or a Venus flytrap. It lures you in with something beautiful, and then the teeth snap shut.
The protagonist’s true desire is revealed in the next line. He calls her a “late night devil” and invites her to put her hands on him. He sees her for what she is—a “devil,” a tempter, a source of evil. And yet, he wants her. He is not just a victim; he is a willing participant.
The line “put your hands on me” has a clear, physical, and aggressive implication. It’s a request for a rough, possibly violent, connection. This confirms the sadomasochistic reading of the song. He is finding pleasure in the pain, actively asking for the “dirty” part of the fight.
Finally, his addiction is laid bare. He begs her to “never, never, never ever let go.” This is the ultimate cry of the co-dependent. He knows this relationship is killing him. He knows she is a devil with a heart full of teeth. But his greatest fear is not the pain; it is the fear of being let go. He would rather be consumed by her than be alone.
Verse 2: The Shattered Fantasy
The second verse explores the “highs” of the relationship that he is so addicted to. He states that on some days, she is the best thing in his life. This is the “sweet” part of the chorus. These moments of genuine happiness are what fuel his addiction and make him endure the lows.
His delusion runs so deep that he admits, “Sometimes, when I look at you, I see my wife.” This is the core tragedy. He mistakes the intensity of the passion for the stability of a future. He sees this chaotic, dangerous person and projects a fantasy of a normal, healthy, married life onto her.
This fantasy is, of course, immediately shattered. He says that she then turns into somebody he does not know. The “wife” disappears, and the “stranger” from the first verse returns. This whiplash is constant. His dream of a future is built on an illusion that she breaks every single day.
The verse ends with the cycle repeating once again. She pushes him away. This repetition is intentional. It underscores the fact that he is trapped in a loop. He has this beautiful fantasy of a wife, but the reality of the “push” always brings him crashing back to earth.
The Bridge: A Metaphor of Blood and Roses
The bridge is the most poetic and visually powerful part of the song. It presents two stark images. In the first, he is standing with “blood on my shirt” and a “rose in my hand.” This is the entire song in one snapshot.
The “blood on my shirt” represents the fight, the pain, the wound. It is the “dirty” fight and the “teeth” in action. He has been hurt. The “rose in my hand” represents the romance, the apology, the “sweet” love. He is holding both the pain and the pleasure at the same time, unable to have one without the other.
As he stands there, wounded but still offering love, she looks at him like she does not know who he is. This is the ultimate emotional detachment. After a “bloody” conflict, she feels nothing. She is the “stranger” once again, amplifying his sense of isolation and confusion.
The bridge then repeats and escalates. The image changes from “blood on my shirt” to “heart in my hand.” This is a profound shift. The blood is no longer just a stain on him; it is coming from his very heart, which he has ripped out and is offering to her.
He is showing her his raw, exposed, and vulnerable self. He is giving her the very organ she has been chewing on. And despite this, his heart is “still beating.” This signifies his resilience, but also his tragedy. It means that after all this, he is still in the game. He is still alive, still in love, and still willing to have his heart torn apart by her.
The Evolution from “Youngblood”
It is impossible to discuss “Teeth” without comparing it to the band’s earlier hit, “Youngblood.” Both songs explore toxic, push-pull relationships. However, “Teeth” is a much darker and more mature evolution of the same theme.
“Youngblood” was about an emotionally draining game. The protagonist was a “dead man crawlin’,” defeated and desperate. The song, however, is a sweeping pop-rock anthem. It sounds nostalgic and almost romantic.
“Teeth” is not romantic. It is aggressive, primal, and dangerous. The protagonist is not just a “dead man”; he might not “make it out alive.” The theme has evolved from emotional manipulation to a dynamic that feels physically dangerous and sadomasochistic. The music reflects this, swapping the stadium anthem for a dark, industrial-funk groove.
Conclusion: A Willing Addiction to Pain
“Teeth” by 5 Seconds of Summer is a complex portrait of a destructive addiction. The protagonist is not an innocent victim; he is a willing participant who finds a perverse thrill in the danger. He is addicted to the cycle of pain and pleasure.
The song’s core meaning is that some love is predatory. It looks beautiful, sounds sweet, and draws you in, but it has a “heart got teeth” and it will devour you. The tragedy of the song is that the protagonist knows this. He sees the “devil,” he feels the “teeth,” and he sees the “blood.” But he is so terrified of being alone that he would rather be consumed completely than ever be let go.