Reflection lyrics by Mulan, 19 meanings. Reflection explained, official 2025 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com

Mulan – Reflection lyrics

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Mulan – Reflection lyrics
Look at me,
I may never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter.
Can it be,
I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself,
I would break my family's heart.

Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?
Somehow I cannot hide?
Who I am, though I've tried.
When will my reflection show, who I am, inside?
How I pray, that a time will come,
I can free myself, from their expectations
On that day, I'll discover someway to be myself,
and to make my family proud.
They want a docile lamb,
No-one knows who I am.
Must there be a secret me,
I'm forced to hide?
Must I pretend that I am someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show, who I am inside?
When will my reflection show, who I am inside?
Explain Request
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Look at me, I may never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter. Can it be, I'm not meant to play this part? Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family's heart. Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Somehow I cannot hide? Who I am, though I've tried. When will my reflection show, who I am, inside? How I pray, that a time will come, I can free myself, from their expectations On that day, I'll discover someway to be myself, and to make my family proud. They want a docile lamb, No-one knows who I am. Must there be a secret me, I'm forced to hide? Must I pretend that I am someone else for all time? When will my reflection show, who I am inside? When will my reflection show, who I am inside? Explain Request ×



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Reflection meanings Post my meaning

  • U
    + 108
    Unregistered 2012-06-28 11:10:29
    Being someone else. Not your true self to protect your family. Mulan realizes throughout her struggles she will be her true self and her parents will accept her for who she truly is. Being someone else. Someone you don't know. Someone not special to yourself because you can't seen to recognize yourselfhaving to hide your true self to protect people you love but it somehow seems impossiblemost important is doing your best than being the bestthe character mulan conveying a loving & protective daugther. You do thing that you don't like, but you have to do this because of your love once. Who you really are. There's no hiding from the truth. This lovely soneg means that she is thinking about who she is insidelost as to who one truly is, and how the outside, is not what is on the in. I think, that mulan struggles to be who she is without being disapproved by everyone who loves her. She wants to be free of all the illusions and expectations of her image, but doesn't feel strong enough to show her real self to the whole world yet.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 87
    Unregistered 2012-08-18 22:56:37
    Mulan is trying to be someone else in her family's sake because not being what the other girls are is disgracful. It's kind of the way things are today: if you want to "fit in" you have to be someone who you are not therefor giving you the hard decision of excepting yourself and being who you truly are inside. Mulan is trying to make that decision and basing it on her reflection she can't deny who she really is.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 55
    Unregistered 2015-07-05 11:05:28
    This song is about Mulan pretending to be someone else just to make her family proud of her. But she's not comfortable of being someone else she wants to change her life by not pretending anymore. She wants to be herself and wanted to accept her family for who she was.
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  • U
    + 48
    Unregistered 2014-10-28 19:53:14
    This song is me. I never going to be the perfect daughter or perfect at all. The dam part is that my best friend is perfect. She has top grades in school and she are very popular and in the stable (we ride on the same) she is like a idol for very many. I men, I'm not jealous at her I just want her a little bit more for my self. She is a little bit to "wow" you know. She is just best in everything! I'm not better then her in something. I men I very, very glad that it going so well for her, because I love her and will kill my self if something happens whit her but I just feel like I'm not enough all the time. And it's tuff. To tray to be as good as her all the time. To tray to be someone like I don't are! But I going to be on her side. For ever and ever.
    1 reply
  • U
    + 16
    Unregistered 2016-06-27 20:57:06
    This song shows that you can't always be the person you have to be you have to be you although sometimes it hurts you or your family and friends and Mulan is saying why can't people see who she really is just for he and this happens a lot it society when she says "when will my reflection show who I am inside" she is saying when will people realize who she is like when will they match there thoughts and judgement or there reflection of her to who she really is. Anyway that is what I think Mulan is singing about. Also just pay attention to society and you will realize a lot about this song is true in the real world. This song is a lot about judgement because she is even judging herself in this song thinking she will never be good enough that is also what she is saying when she sings "I will never pass as a perfect bride or a perfect daughter" she thinks she will never be good enough for a man or her parents. Not only that but she also says "who is that girl I see" which means she doesn't recognize herself her reflection so when people judge her as a good and pretty girl she doesn't think that herself. Hope you agree with me!
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 12
    Unregistered 2015-06-23 15:26:09
    For me Mulan is afraid to show her true self because she might hurt the feelings of her family or love ones. Because they have expectations from her, and those expectations doesn't reflect or show her true self. She think that being her true self make those people disappointed. And they may not accept her. Mulan want to be free to expressed the real her that free from judgements of people.
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  • U
    + 11
    Unregistered 2016-03-06 14:40:26
    Honestly this song is really hard to be described in a short review like this. If you haven't already watch this film I seriously urge you to do so. This movie might be old but it certainly will remain gold, watching this movie will not only allow you to understand this song better but also to let you enjoy the amazing movie "Mulan".
    Add your reply
  • t
    + 10
    transkiddJack 2015-12-06 18:57:56
    When Mulan sings "I will never pass as a perfect bride or a perfect daughter," to me she's saying that what they see isn't matched up to who she really is. When she disguises herself as ping, she's seen as who she really is. "when will my reflection show who I really am?" Is a question I ask often. Because I'm not the girl everyone knows me to be. I'm a boy.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 9
    Unregistered 2015-09-17 07:26:40
    This song has so many layers of meaning but I feel the best way to sum it up is simply this you have to live your life for yourself, as much as you may want to make everyone else happy by playing the role they have planned for you that will end up leaving you hollow inside without any idea of who you are. Milan in this sing is coming to terms with the fact that she must live for herself and hope those she loves will love who she is and not who they want her to be.
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  • U
    + 7
    Unregistered 2015-07-15 16:28:57
    For me, in this case discrimination is being applied. When she does think that nobody accept the true her and being scared to hurt somebody (family) or being judge by anybody she decided to hide the true her. She was afraid but at the end "acceptance is the key" which she accept herself and felt being free.
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  • U
    + 7
    Unregistered 2014-10-19 02:20:55
    Sometimes an armor isn't a metal. Nowadays, to conceal what's inside, you have to deviate from the norm. For example, if all the girls are trying to be slim to be attractive to men, you shouldn't follow them because if you do, you'll be leaving lots of people behind who are important to you. E. G. Your family. There is greater fulfillment in overcoming one's personal desire for the common good. We're not meant to live our life for our own sake. Life has greater value through sacrifice. Well, being human, you sometimes look in the mirror and say "what if I live life without thinking of some other important people other than myself?" Maybe, I won't be in this armor.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 5
    Unregistered 2015-06-23 15:51:36
    Mulan trying to be someone else based on people expecting she is. But when she saw her reflection, the time that only she can see her self, she can't deny her true self, which is different from people expecting on her. Like me I am trying to be someone else. I am trying to be a smart student, to be friendly, to be perfect. But I know I'm not that kind of person.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 3
    Unregistered 2017-06-26 22:17:33
    Pretending and acting like someone else is so hard. I've experience it, many times. Those times when "I have to be perfect" because people expect me to be. It's so hard. And then, I realize "I don't have to pretend or to act like I am perfect". People will accept me if they truly love me. I don't need to act and or to pretend.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 3
    Unregistered 2017-03-09 23:25:01
    Mulan just want to be away from her family not be nice her farther get made so mulan ran away from her family so mulan can take her father place so her father does not need to die mulan is just saving her father. Mulan want her father to be save for the bad guys but her family and her father and mush help mulan and mulan tell thrut to Shang mualn save shang.
    Add your reply
  • a
    + 2
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  • U
    + 1
    Unregistered 2022-06-03 12:16:35
    I think Mulan is a girl who has a different personality to the other girls. She is not one of the perfect girls and when dressed like one, she doesn't recognise herself anymore. She wants to make her family proud but finds it difficult to reach their expectations. To achieve this though, she has to hide her true self. She is playing a part of the perfect girl but she thinks she is not worthy of the job to please her loved ones because she can never be perfect. All she wants is to be free to show her true self, the one behind the mask of perfection.
    Add your reply
  • z
    - 1
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  • U
    - 2
    Unregistered 2015-06-15 21:00:25
    In this case Mulan thinks that nobody accept who she really is even her family. So she decided to hide herself, she hide the real truth who is she.
    But in the end she realize that accept first who really you are before the others do to you. Be true not only to others but also to yourself it may lead you to your happiness.
    Add your reply
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    Top meanings Post my meaning

    • U
      + 108
      Unregistered
      Being someone else. Not your true self to protect your family. Mulan realizes throughout her... Read more →
    • U
      + 87
      Unregistered
      Mulan is trying to be someone else in her family's sake because not being what the other girls are... Read more →
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    [Intro][Verse][Pre-Chorus][Chorus][Hook][Bridge][Outro]