After leaving the institution, she lived with her aunt and uncle where she then-having left her mother-saw America’s wonders. Lastly, for context we must know the singer attended a boarding school, remedying budding alcoholism. Using her technique, we, the listener, make the connection. In fact, the previous verse’s “father” mainly invites a mother to the listener’s mind, allowing the singer’s indirect addressment’s functionality. This isn’t the first time, career-wise, when the singer indirectly addresses her mother. The lines “and then there was the issue of her/I didn’t even like myself or love the life I had” display the singer’s past misery, letting the first line’s “her” represent a mother: her previous life’s downfall. The entire following verse establishes the narrative in which Lana Del Rey “rediscovers” America’s wonders after her biological mother counteracted them.
Using similar deconstructive methods when approaching other lyrics, this song does truly address person-to-place relationships. The verse’s last line, “it seemed only appropriate you’d easily have my back,” addresses fans who during her controversies didn’t take her side and so failed to provide needed support and stability. Give it some thought for a loved father, who is a person, “it” is much too harsh a dehumanizing pronoun. The song’s subsequent line, “and I thought I found it in Brentwood,” specifically uses “it” not “him” or “you,” further solidifying the idea that “it” represents stability and support. The opening lyric’s “father” then becomes a symbol representing support and stability, both of which she nearly lost due to public controversies.
In contrast, she praises her father, even publicly sharing positive father-daughter moments. Appearing later, the excerpt “father never stepped in/when his wife would rage at me” shows this. Take the lines “I guess you could call it textbook/I was lookin’ for the father I wanted back.” The second line implies the singer lost her father, which when fact-checked isn’t true the singer only documents through her lyrics her rocky mother-daughter relationship. It’s unlike many of the other songs that obviously portray person-to-place relationship, and so requires rigorous fact-checking. The convoluted, allegorical, and masterfully crafted “Text Book” opens Blue Banisters, highlighting the album’s most limited subject matter in which the singer assesses her country’s political and social climate. On Lana Del Rey’s second 2021 album, Blue Banisters, she proves that intrapersonal, environmental, and especially interpersonal relationships all teach valuable lessons promoting future wellness. Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey fortunately knows this well, though now more than ever she understands their utility. However, what isn’t obvious is the way relationships exist not only between people, but also within and beyond them. We know that relationships dictate our life’s outcome.