You know the feeling. That haunting, music-box chime starts up, and suddenly you’re back in 2010, staring at four girls in black dresses standing over a casket. It’s iconic. Honestly, if you grew up during the Freeform era, "Got a secret, can you keep it?" isn't just a lyric—it’s a Pavlovian trigger for mystery and high-stakes teen drama.
But here’s the thing: most of us just hummed along to the pretty little liars theme song words without actually listening to how dark they are. If you actually look at the full track, it’s not just a catchy tune about mean girls. It’s a literal story about murder, betrayal, and a very specific Benjamin Franklin quote that went rogue.
The Pierces and the Song That Almost Wasn't
The song is actually titled "Secret," and it was performed by a sister duo called The Pierces (Catherine and Allison Pierce). It wasn't written for the show. In fact, it was released back in 2007 on their album Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge.
Katherine Pierce recently shared a story about the song’s origin that sounds like it could be a PLL plot point itself. She was at lunch at a restaurant called Levana in New York—a place she almost didn't go to. While eating, she saw a guy wearing a T-shirt with a Benjamin Franklin quote: "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."
She thought to herself, Wouldn't it be spookier if it was two people?
She rushed home and wrote the track. The kicker? Her producer at the time told her it was the worst song he had ever heard. He flat-out refused to record it. It took years and a different producer, Roger Greenawalt, to finally give the song the "cabaret singer in a southern speakeasy run by witches" vibe that we know today.
Why Ashley Benson is the Reason We Have This Song
You can thank Hanna Marin for the theme. Seriously.
While the cast was filming the pilot in Vancouver, they were all hanging out in a car. Ashley Benson played "Secret" for the rest of the girls and I. Marlene King (the showrunner). She was obsessed with it and told Marlene it had to be the theme song.
Before that, fans on early internet forums were already making "fan edits" of the Pretty Little Liars books using this exact song. It was one of those rare moments where the actors, the fans, and the producers all accidentally agreed on the perfect vibe.
Breaking Down the Pretty Little Liars Theme Song Words
The version we hear in the opening credits is just a snippet. The full lyrics go much deeper into the psychology of why we tell secrets in the first place.
"Why when do our darkest deeds do we tell?
They burn in our brains, become a living hell
Because everybody tells
Everybody tells"
It hits on the central theme of the show: the Liars wouldn't be in half their mess if they could just keep their mouths shut. But "A" thrives because humans have a natural compulsion to share their "darkest deeds."
The most famous line, "Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead," is the ultimate foreshadowing for the entire series. In Rosewood, secrets don't just go away; they get buried. Sometimes literally.
The Hidden Dialogue
In the full version of the song, there's a spoken-word bridge between the sisters that most casual viewers never hear. It goes like this:
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- Allison: "Catherine?"
- Catherine: "Yes?"
- Allison: "I have something I want to tell you, but you have to promise never to tell anyone."
- Catherine: "I promise."
- Allison: "Do you swear on your life?"
- Catherine: "I swear on my life."
The song then descends into a chant of "You swore you'd never tell," which is basically the internal monologue of every character who ever stepped foot in Rosewood.
Variations and the New Era
If you’ve checked out the newer spinoffs, you’ve noticed they didn't want to let the song go. They knew the brand was tied to those specific notes.
- The Perfectionists: They used an eerie, slowed-down remix by Denmark + Winter. It felt more like a horror movie, fitting the darker tone of the college-set mystery.
- Original Sin / Summer School: This version (by Transviolet or the 2020 Pierces remix) leaned into the "slasher" vibe. It kept the DNA of the original but added a modern, gritty edge.
What Most People Get Wrong
There’s a common misconception that the song was written about the character Alison DiLaurentis because the singer’s name is Allison Pierce. It’s a total coincidence. The song existed three years before the show premiered. However, the lyrics fit so perfectly—mentioning taking secrets "to the grave"—that it felt like destiny.
Another weird detail? The song actually appeared in Gossip Girl first. It played in Season 1, Episode 10 ("Hi, Society") during a debutante ball. It’s wild to think that the definitive PLL anthem could have easily been "that song from Gossip Girl" if the producers hadn't snatched it up.
How to Experience the Song Now
If you want to dive deeper into the lore of the pretty little liars theme song words, you should check out the official music video by The Pierces. It’s incredibly theatrical. It features one sister strangling the other after a secret is revealed, which is... very on-brand.
- Listen to the 2020 Re-recording: The Pierces released a "Secret 2020" version that cleans up the production but keeps the haunting vocals.
- Watch the "Original Sin" Intro: Compare how the visuals of the new series change the meaning of the lyrics from "teen drama" to "slasher horror."
- Read the Benjamin Franklin Original: Look up "Poor Richard's Almanack" to see how a 1735 proverb became a 2010s pop culture staple.
The song is more than a 30-second clip; it’s a masterclass in atmosphere. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the OG Liars or just getting into the new iterations, the lyrics remain a chilling reminder that in the world of PLL, the only way to keep a secret is to make sure there's no one left to tell it.