Christina Lang

Honors English
OConnor
3 March 2016
TP-CASTT
{1}
I've Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth
(Summer Song)
Joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of "best friends"
We're the kids who feel like dead ends
And I want to be known for my hits, not just my misses
I took a shot and didn't even come close
At trust and love and hope
And the poets are just kids who didn't make it
And never had it at all
And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me
Please put the doctor on the phone cause I'm not making any sense
Blame everyone but me for this mess
And my back has been breaking from this heavy heart
We never seemed so far
I'm hopelessly hopeful, you're just hopeless enough
But we never had it at all
And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me
to everyone else around me
everyone else around me
everyone else around me

Title - The title sounds like they're in danger in some way. A dark alley is mysterious and
often viewed as dangerous. It feels as if they are running away from something.
Paraphrase the speaker feels sad
he wants to be known for his good qualities rather than only his bad ones
he wanted to feel happy but couldnt
he calls himself a poet and a kid who is sad
his life wont come together
whatever hes struggling with, if he reveals it the media will judge him
so he can pretend that it never happened
he feels fake and uncomfortable because he compares himself to everyone
he is insane, he needs a doctor
to cope with his feelings, he blames everyone else
he feels tired from his metaphorical sad heart
hes desperate, you are desperate enough
Connotation - were the kids who feel like dead ends - this means that they feel as if
they have nowhere to go, their life has no direction. the author makes it sound almost
like there is a camaraderie shared amongst these dead end kids because of the way
he included himself with them.
the poets are just kids who didnt make it - he writes as if poets are always sad or
know that life always has a depressing undertone. poets are those who were innocent
once, but were washed into the depressing knowing of life
and the record wont stop skipping - relates to his band, because of music. because
the record wont stop skipping, he is surrounded by cacophony and discomfort
Attitude - The attitude of this poem is that the speaker is very hopeless and lost. he is a
pessimistic person who seems helpless.
Shifts - please put the doctor on the phone cause Im not making any sense - he
becomes so depressed that he needs a doctor, the rest of the song sounds hopeless.
Title - The title means that he is at a dead end, that he is depressed and alone and that
he is anxious. He wants the person to shut their mouth because he doesnt want to
reveal whatever he wants to reveal to the airwaves
Theme - This poem addresses how some people are not as happy as they seem,
despite what they put out on the media.

{2}
Golden
How cruel is the golden rule?
When the lives we lived are only golden-plated
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carried karats for everyone to see
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams
Where the sewage of youth drowned the spark of my teens
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me (too heavy for me)
Though I carried karats for everyone to see (everyone to see)
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
And pray they don't grow up to be
Title - It sounds as if something is prized. If something is golden, it is often viewed as
expensive or valuable. From past knowledge of this writer, this is title has a bad
undertone.
Paraphrase he feels as if following the golden rule is unfulfilling or unfair
his life seems perfect from the outside, but its not
the city was too hard for him to live in
he broke his back trying to impress everyone
he is pitied because he spends so much time trying to impress others
he is not someone to be emulated
his dreams were very big, but they were insidious for they were only going to hurt him
his youth was horrible, he had no motivation in his teens
city life was too hard for him to live
he tried to impress others with shiny material items or tricks
.

he is not to be emulated, and others make him a bad example

Connotation - tongues on the sockets of electric dreams - this sounds almost a if you
caused it yourself, knowing that shocking yourself was your own fault. you were set up
for disaster from the beginning
I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies - him ignoring the golden rule,
suggesting that god is his enemy in a sense. he is crying because the speaker is so
pitiful
Attitude - in this poem, the attitude of the speaker is sad and hopeless. he believes that
he cannot achieve his dreams and that he is carrying on for nothing, flaunting material
items for nothing
Shifts - To stay away from me
And pray they don't grow up to be
this change shows that not only is he to be avoided, but he must be cast away for he is
bad to society.
Title - The title takes a more depressing feeling, for one may look golden but in reality
they are golden-plated
Theme - the speaker says that even though he seems okay and possesses many
material goods, he is not truly happy because nobody pays attention to him or wants
him or wants to be like him.

{3}
Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes
I'm coming apart at the seams
Pitching myself for leads in other people's dreams now
Buzz, buzz, buzz
Doc, there's a hole where something was
Doc, there's a hole where something was
Fell out of bed,
Butterfly bandage, but don't worry
You'll never remember, your head is far too blurry.
Put him in the back of a squad car restrain that man
He needs his head put through a catscan
Hey editor, I'm undeniable!
Hey doctor, I'm certifiable!
I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine
What a match, I'm half doomed and you're semi-sweet
So boycott love
Detox just to retox
And I'd promise you anything for another shot at life
And perfect boys with their perfect lives
Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy
(Wants to hear you sing about tragedy)
Little girl, you got me staring odd
Or was that just a telescopic camera nod
Painted dolls in the highway truckstop stalls
Lot lizard scales cool your nightlife moods
All the rookies leave your badge and your gun on the desk
when you leave the room
I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine
What a match, I'm half doomed and you're semi-sweet
Boycott love
Detox just to retox

And I'd promise you anything for another shot at life

And perfect boys with their perfect lives
Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy
(Wants to hear you sing about tragedy)
Detox
Just to retox
Detox
Just to retox
Detox
Just to retox
Detox
Just to retox
Detox (So boycott love)
Just to retox
Detox (Boycott love)
Just to retox
Detox (Boycott love)
Just to retox
Detox (Boycott love)
Just to retox
So boycott love (Boycott love)
Detox just to retox
And I'd promise you anything for another shot at life
And perfect boys with their perfect lives
Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy
(Wants to hear you sing)
Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy
(Wants to hear you sing about tragedy)
Title - The title seems to be that water buffalo are uncontrolled and wild, and that they
are not walking like they usually are in a orderly fashion
Paraphrase Im falling apart
only living other peoples dreams
hes missing something, and hes consulting a doctor
he started the day horribly
he's not held together very well, hence butterfly bandage
he's reassuring himself ironically, because he's messed up in the head

hes saying that he is mentally unstable and should be locked up

to the media, he's a great story to be told
to the doctor, he is clinically unstable
he feels lost, not full
he's saying that whoever he has a relationship with that they are not compatible, he's
too horrible, they're too sweet
don't fall in love
be healed just to fall back again
he'd give anything to be better again
nobody wants to hear the struggles of those who have their life together
he looks at her weird
or is he being watched
done up girls with him in bathroom stalls
things calms down his partying mood
lower people show respect
Connotation - I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine - uses a metaphor to show that
he is not fulfilled, he feels like a part of him is lost and he is an outcast
pitching myself for leads in other people's dreams - they're life is a movie, he's playing
it as himself to live other people's dreams instead of his
Attitude - The speaker seems almost crazy and sad, for he keeps saying he needs to go
to a doctor. He is scornful of those who are perfect. He is in a loop of getting better
and falling away again
Shifts - All the rookies leave your badge and your gun on the desk when you leave the
room - the shift of that he refers himself as higher in an hierarchy, rather than the
depressing lowering of himself.
Title - The title is about how he is disorganized and his life can't get back, that he is in a
loop.
Theme - getting better is a loop, one gets better just to fall away again

{4}
I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written
About Me
I found the cure to growing older
And you're the only place that feels like home
Just so you know, you'll never know
And some secrets weren't meant to be told
But I found the cure to growing older
I'm the first kid to write of hearts, lies, and friends
And I am sorry my conscience called in sick again
And I've got arrogance down to a science
Oh, and I'm the first kid to write of hearts, lies, and friends, now
[Chorus:]
Douse yourself in cheap perfume it's
So fitting, so fitting of the way you are
You can't cover it up
Can't cover it up
So douse yourself in cheap perfume it's so
So fitting, so fitting of the way you are
You can't cover it up
Can't cover it up, no
Find a safe place, brace yourself, bite your lips
I'm sending your fingernails and empty bottles you've sipped
Back to your family 'cause I know you will be missed
So you can find a safe place, brace yourself
They call kids like us vicious and carved out of stone
But for what we've become, we just feel more alone
Always weigh what I've lost against what I left
So progress report: I am missing you to death
[Chorus:]
Douse yourself in cheap perfume it's
So fitting, so fitting of the way you are
You can't cover it up
Can't cover it up

So douse yourself in cheap perfume it's so

So fitting, so fitting of the way you are
You can't cover it up
Can't cover it up, no
Someone old, no one new
Feeling borrowed, always blue
Someone old, no one new
Feeling borrowed, always blue
Someone old, no one new
Feeling borrowed, always blue
Someone old, no one new
Always borrowed, always you
I found the cure to growing older
I found the cure to growing older
[Chorus:]
Douse yourself in cheap perfume it's
So fitting, so fitting of the way you are
You can't cover it up
Can't cover it up
So douse yourself in cheap perfume it's
So fitting, so fitting of the way you are
You can't cover it up
Can't cover it up

Title - This title suggests that someone is bitter after an interaction with someone in fall
out boy
Paraphrase he feels young
you are the only person that he feels comfortable with
they told a secret, but they do not know that they weren't supposed to
he matured when he was young
he has no conscience, he is a bad person
he's very arrogant
to remind you again, he was matured when he was young
whoever he is talking about is cheap or fake, and that they are like that
they can't hide it
he tells them to be prepared for him

he's sending old, lewd memories back to their family because they would be missed
they are the people that are not to be emulated, and are mean
but from the people they become, they feel alone
seeing what he left behind or if he lost it himself
regardless, he's missing them
he found solace in someone he used to know, not someone new
he feels borrowed because of this and he is sad
Connotation - Someone old, no one new/ feeling borrowed, always blue - this is a
reference to when you get married, you get something old, something new, something
borrowed, something blue. He uses this ironically because he is married to this
feeling where he is not quite with someone, and he feels alone.
I found the cure to growing older - he feels young in being bad and doing bad things.
He breaks people's hearts because it's exciting.
Attitude - The attitude in which the speaker speaks is that he sounds condescending,
like he's better than them, but still sounds dissatisfied of himself.
Shifts - Find a safe place, brace yourself, bite your lips - this shifts from him telling the
audience how he is a bad person to being about someone else, saying that he is going
to do something to them.
Title - The title refers to someone who is considered cheap and that they wanted fame
or recognition from sleeping with someone in fall out boy. Instead, they get angry
poems.
Theme - the theme of this poem is that Despite acting horrible to someone, one may still
love them, even though it doesn't look like it.

{5}
Youre Crashing but Youre No Wave
The D.A. is dressed to the nines
In the mirror he practices all his lines
To his closing argument twelve hearts beat in favor
I'm guessing that he read the morning paper
The headline reads "the man hangs", but the jury doesn't
And everyone's looking for relief
United States versus disbelief
Mothers cast tears on both sides of the aisle
Clear your throat and face the world
The verdict falls like bachelors for bad luck girls
Only breathing with the aid of denial.
Case open, case shut,
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic? (Whoaaa-ooo)
He glances at his peers sitting seven to twelve stacked
On one to six the gallery is hushed
Boys in three pieces dream of grandstanding and bravado
The city sleeps in a cell notwithstanding what we all know
Hang on a rope or bated breath
Whichever you prefer
And everyone's looking for relief
A bidding war for an old flame's grief
The cause, the kid, the course, the charm, and the curse
Not a word that could make you comprehend
Too well dressed for the witness stand
The press prays for whichever headline's worse
Case open, case shut,
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic? (Whoaaa-ooo)

Fresh pressed suit and tie

Unimpressed birds sing and die
Can talk my way out of anything
The foreman reads the verdict
"In the above entitled actions we find the defendant..."
Guilty...Guilty...Guilty...Guilty...
Case open, case shut,
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
[x2]
(Whoaaa-ooo)

Title - The title suggests that one is failing in life, but they are not doing it gracefully. This
title sounds like it is full of spite.
Paraphrase the D.A. is dressed very well
he practices what he is going to say
of his end argument with twelve other jurors to agree
he already knows the fate of the case
but the jury doesnt know about it that the man will be sentenced to death
everybody wants the case to end
them versus someone that is not likely to win
the argument is not pretty
they have to face it anyways
the verdict falls easily, and with bad thought
the other side is only getting by with denial, no proof
the case opens and shuts
one can pay so it shuts forever and is buried
the little kid couldnt bear this trial
its tragic
he glances at the jurors on his side
the other jurors are silent
boys has dreams of being rich and are snobbing
the city tries to contain the information, but everyone knows it
which way does he prefer to be sentenced to death?
everyone wants the case to end
an argument for an old conflict

the cause of it, the kid, how it plays out, their charm, and the downfall
whatever they say, you wont believe
that the witness is way too well dressed to be truthful
the press likes it when the outcome is worse
they were well dressed
those who didnt care about it faded away
they were charming, could talk his way out of it
he was found guilty
Connotation - Unimpressed birds sing and die - alludes the song to To Kill a
Mockingbird, saying that the people didnt care about Toms case and they died
because they didnt do the right thing
A bidding war for an old flames grief - this means that this case has been dragged out
for a long time, for something in the past that didnt matter so much.
Attitude - The attitude of this song seems as if he is indifferent to the case, even
sarcastically saying Isnt it tragic? This is because he already knows the outcome of
this case and he has seen it so many times before. It seems as if he has seen this play
out many times before, and he is indifferent to the recurring horrors of the racist
outcome.
Shifts - In the above entitled actions we find the defendant guilty guilty guilty guilty This shifts to the already-known outcome. The speaker is waiting for this to happen, and
once it does, he sarcastically says that you could pay to close it like a casket, saying
how horrible this system is.
Title - The title refers to how people in court crash down, not gracefully, in the hands of
society.
Theme - No matter what evidence for the accused, people are racist and will ignore that
they are not guilty, they will always be guilty in their eyes because they have prejudice.

{6}
From Now On We Are Enemies
I just want to be better than your
Your head's only medicine
I just want to be better than your
Your head's only medicine
A downward spiral just a pirouette
G-g-getting worse till there's n-n-nothing left
What good comes of something when I'm
just the ghost of nothing (nothing)?
I'm just the man on the balcony singing:
"Nobody will ever remember me"
Rejoice, rejoice and fall to your knees
(for a)
Lunatic of a god or a god of a lunatic?
Oh, their faces are dancing
They're dancing till
Till they can't stand it
A composer but never composed
Singing the symphonies of the overdosed
A composer but never composed
Singing:
"I only want what I can't have"
"I only want what I can't have"
Heralded as a king before I had a birthday
With double (double) digits (digits)
Fit the crown to my head but I was only a kid (yeah I was only a kid)
Yeah I was only a kid
(Hey)
I'm just the man on the balcony singing:
"Nobody will ever remember me"
Rejoice, rejoice and fall to your knees
(Oah)
Lunatic of a god or a god of a lunatic?
Oh, their faces are dancing
They're dancing till
Till they can't stand it

A composer but never composed

Singing the symphonies of the overdosed
A composer but never composed
Singing:
"I only want what I can't have" [x3]
"I only want what I can't, I can't have"
I just want to be better than your
Your head's only medicine
I just want to be better than your
Your head's only medicine
I'm just the man on the balcony singing:
"Nobody will ever remember me"
Rejoice, rejoice and fall to your knees
I'm just the man on the balcony singing:
"Nobody will ever remember me"
Rejoice, rejoice and fall to your knees
Lunatic of a god or a god of a lunatic?
Oh, their faces are dancing
They're dancing till
Till they can't stand it
A composer but never composed
Singing the symphonies of the overdosed
A composer but never composed
Singing:
"I only want what I can't have" [x3]
"I only want what I can't, I can't have"
Title - the title suggests that they were once friends, and they do not want to become
enemies, but they have no choice for whatever reason.
Paraphrase your mind is his cure but he doesnt want to need it anymore
he becomes sad gracefully
he becomes so sad that he has nothing to live for
whats the point of living if he accomplishes nothing
he believes that he is not worth anything because all his efforts will not be remembered
he rejoices either way, and falls
is he crazy because he is a god or is he god because he is crazy
they are happy on whatever until they cant take it
he is a writer, a composer, but is never composed or calm

he writes for those who are struggling

he only want what he cant have
he became famous or had attention when he was young
he ruled, but he was naive
.
Connotation - a composer but never composed - he uses similar sounding words to
say how different these two words are. he creates things, but he is never calm. this puts
more effort into that these two words are different, even though they sound the same.
lunatic of a god or a god of a lunatic - he uses repetition to show that he is crazy. he
wonders if because he is crazy, he is a god or if he is god because he is crazy. either
way, he has a god complex and believes he is both higher than everyone else, but also
worse than them.
Attitude - In this song, he sounds mentally unstable. He wants to die because no one
will remember him. He seems sad and restless, in saying that he is never composed.
Shifts - heralded as a king before I had a birthday with double digits - this shifts in how
before, he says that nobody will remember him, into saying that he was a king. this
shifts the perspective in saying that nobody will remember him for anything important.
Title - The title means that he is enemies to how nobody will remember him. he only
wants what he cant have, and that he is battling against this.
Theme - Whats the point of living if no one remembers you?

{7}
Carpal Tunnel of Love
We take sour sips from life's lush lips
And we shake, shake, shake the hips in relationships
Stomp out this disaster town
You'll put your eyes to the sun and say, "I know
you're only blinding to keep back what the clouds are hiding."
And we might've started singing just a little soon
We're throwing stones at a glass moon
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning, whoa-oh
We keep the beat with your blistered feet
And we bullet the words at the mockingbirds singing
Slept through the weekend and dreaming
Of sinking with the melody of the cliffs of eternity
Got postcards from my former selves saying: "How've you been?"
We might've said goodbyes just a little soon
(Stomp out this disaster town)
Robbing lips, kissing banks under this moon
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning, ohh...
It was ice cream headaches and sweet avalanche
When the pearls in our shells got up to dance
You call me a bad tipper of the cradle
Tired yawns for fawns on hunter's lawns
We're the has-beens of husbands
Sharpening the knives of young wives
Take two years and call me when you're better
Take teardrops of mine, find yourself wetter
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning

Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning

Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Title - The title sounds miserable because Carpal tunnel is a disease, and of love
makes it sound as if love is bad.
Paraphrase life is horrible
we are intimate in relationships
ran away from the town
say to the top people
you do something significant to hide what you feel
they became sad too soon
theyre breaking something fragile
theyre miserable, but they are beautiful
they sing songs for those who fake their feelings
they keep up with you
they sing words to the innocent
slept through his breaks and he wants to die
he wanted to improve before but he hasnt
they left each other too early
they stole kisses from eachother
his life seemed sweet, but was causing him a headache
those who are prized left
he dates young people
they are doomed from being near other influential people
they used to be married
the wives are dangerous
he tells them to call him with they are better
Connotation - we take sour sips from lifes lush lips - they make it seem like life is
tempting them to make bad decisions. these sour sips make life seem bad.
and we bullet the words at the mockingbirds singing - this alludes itself to To Kill a
Mockingbird, where a mockingbird is usually seen as innocent and good. they were
harsh and sang words to innocent people.
Attitude - The attitude is that they seem miserable but they believe that they are better
than everyone.
Shifts - It was ice cream headaches and sweet avalanche - this shift tells that their
relationship was sweet, but harmful. Before, he was only singing about himself, but this
shift made it so someone else is in the picture.
Title - This is irony. It is comparing love to an injury, making love seem bad.
Theme - They are still sad from the past but they look stunning.

{8}
Rat a Tat
No thesis existed for burning cities down at such a rampant rate
No graphics and no fucking powerpoint presentation
So they just DIY'd that shit and built their own bombs
She's his suicide blond, she's number than gold
Are you ready for another bad poem?
One more off key anthem
Let your teeth sink in
Remember me as I was not as I am
And I said "I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead,"
I kept wishing she had blonde ambition and she'd let it go to my head
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my love is a weapon
There's no second guessing when I say
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my heart is a grenade
You pull the pin and say:
We're all fighting growing old
We're all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get, get on St. Peter's list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it's never
Getting any better than this
We are professional ashes of roses
This kerosene's live
You settled your score
This is where you come to beg, unborn and unshaven
Killing fields of fire to a congress of ravens
This is what we do, baby, we nightmare you

I'm about to make the sweat roll backwards

And your heart beat in reverse
Our guts can't be reworked
As alone as a little white church in the middle of the desert
Getting burned
But I'll take your heart served up two ways
I sing a bitter song
I'm the lonelier version of you
I just don't know where it went wrong
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my love is a weapon
There's no second guessing when I say
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my heart is a grenade
You pull the pin and say:
We're all fighting growing old
We're all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get, get on St. Peter's list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it's never
Getting any better than this
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
It's never
Getting any better than this
She's sick and she's wrong
She's young dirty blonde
And you sink inside her like a suicide bomb
He says "I've seen bigger"
She says "I've lit better"
And they throw the matches down into the glitter
Not a dry eye left in the house
Go boy, go boy, run for your life

Go boy, go boy, run for your life

Go boy, go boy, run for your life
We're all fighting growing old
We're all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get, get on St. Peter's list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it's never
Getting any better than this
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
It's never
Getting any better than this
Are you ready for another bad poem?
Title - It sounds like a war chant. It sounds revolutionary.
Paraphrase there was no reason they burned down cities so fast
there was no explanation
they made it themselves
shes seems perfect but shes suicidal, and she is worth everything
they are saying that their poem is bad
one more of their bad poems
read it like a guilty pleasure
remember them like the person they were before
hell check in with them if he doesnt go away
he wished that she only wanted to use him, but she didnt and hes stuck on her
his heart is dangerous, a weapon, and she made it destructive
they want more time, to be young
they want to be holy, clean, innocent
but they shouldnt expect much because they cant be someone else
they were something beautiful once, but they burned and became bad
they want them to come back to them, revealing everything
a horrific scene, with fire and ravens (all bad symbols)
he is a nightmare, he is only bad for you
he is going to mess with you, have your vital organs not work
they cant change themselves
they are very alone

and they are also doomed because they are mentally unstable
they are bitter
he says that he is you, but more messed up
he doesnt know how he messed up
.
shes not a good person, not someone to mix yourself up with
you go to her anyways, knowing that she will hurt you
they become conceited, saying that they could do better
they destruct what they flaunt, their flash
everyone is crying and upset
they should run from her because she is not good for them
Connotation - to get on St. Peters list - this alludes to religion, saying that they
desperately want to be innocent again but they cant.
If my heart is a grenade/ you pull the pin and say - he is comparing his heart to a war
weapon because it is bad and destructive.
Attitude - His attitude is that he is conceited, but knows he is a bad person. He believes
he can do anything, but is well aware that he is not a good person.
Shifts - go boy, go boy, run for your life - the tone shifts, instead on him saying that she
is going to mess up her heart, she tells him to run before he gets hurt.
Title - This is still the same war chant, fitting with the chorus where he compares his
heart to a grenade.
Theme - they are saying that they consider themselves horrible people and have bad
morals, but its all they have.

{9}
This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
I am an arms dealer
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words
And don't really care which side wins
As long as the room keeps singing
That's just the business I'm in, yeah
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
I'm not a shoulder to cry on
But I digress
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate
I wrote the gospel on giving up
(You look pretty sinking)
But the real bombshells have already sunk
(Prima donnas of the gutter)
At night we're painting your trash gold while you sleep
Crashing not like hips or cars,
No, more like p-p-p-parties
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
This bandwagon's full
Please, catch another
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate

I'm a leading man

And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate
Yeah...
Whoa-oh
All the boys who the dance floor didn't love
And all the girls whose lips couldn't move fast enough
Sing, until your lungs give out
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
(Now you)
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
(Wear out the groove)
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
(Sing out loud)
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
(Oh, oh)
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned arms race
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate
Title - The title means that they arent acting, that they are purposely saying nothing to
cause an argument.
Paraphrase he deals out words that people can say to hurt others
but he doesnt care
as long as everyone is happy
this is why he is doing it
this isnt a movie, or pretending, its that they both saying nothing so that they think they
are winning in this argument
he does not have compassion, he digresses

he is famous, everyone loves him

because he lies
he writes songs on being sad, titled for it
he sees others being sad because of them, and he thinks its funny
those who are already depressed have already became sad, not because of their music
they are the leaders of the depressed
they are making your messed up life seem good
going to parties, not being intimate or dying
this isnt a movie, or pretending, its that they both saying nothing so that they think they
are winning in this argument
so many people pretend to be sad
they want them to do something else
to the boys who didnt like to go out
and to the girls who couldnt keep up
these songs are for you
Connotation - At night were painting your trash gold while you sleep - this metaphor is
saying that they want them to think that whatever bad things they have in their life is
good.
I wrote the gospel on giving up - he is saying this like he is a god, preaching horrors to
the world. He is saying that he led so many people into being sad because of his music,
and he is ironically bored of them because he really writes music to those who are truly
struggling.
Attitude - His attitude seems as if he thinks he is a god, and he seems like psychopath
because he doesnt care that people are falling into depression because of him.
Shifts - All the boys who the dance floor didnt love/ and all the girls whose lips couldn't
move fast enough/ sing until your lungs give out - this shift in the poem tells that
instead of dissing those who romanticize depression in the earlier lines, he tells them
that his intentions were to write for those who struggled.
Title - The title says that his songs are not for those who pretend to be depressed, living
their life like a movie because they believe it looks pretty, but he ironically says that he
writes to purposely damage those who romanticize it.
Theme - When people listen to their music, they pretend to become sad. Their music is
for those who are truly left behind, not those who pretend that they are sad because
they have nothing else to do.

{10}
Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year
Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
Take our tears and put them on ice
Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light
We're the therapists pumping through your speakers
Delivering just what you need
We're well read and poised
We're the best boys
We're the chemists who've found the formula
To make your heart swell and burst
No matter what they say, don't believe a word
Cause I'll keep singing this lie if you'll keep believing it
I'll keep singing this lie
I'll keep singing this lie
Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
Take our tears and put them on ice
Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light
We're traveled like gypsies
Only with worse luck and far less gold
We're the kids you used to love
But then we grew old
We're the lifers here till the bitter end
Condemned from the start
Ashamed of the way
The songs and the words own the beating of our hearts
Cause I'll keep singing this lie
I'll keep singing this lie
Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
take our tears and put them on ice

Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light
There's a drug in the thermostat to warm the room up
And there's another around to help us bend your trust
I've got a sunset in my veins
And I need to take a pill to make this town feel okay
The best part of "Believe" is the "Lie",
I hope you sing along and you steal a line
I need to keep you like this in my mind
So give in or just give up [x2]
Are we growing up or just going down?
Are we growing up or just going down?
It's just a matter of time until we're all found out
Take our tears and put them on ice
Cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the light
Title - The title suggests that in whatever they are doing, they are either going to fail or
become very good at it the second time around.
Paraphrase are we becoming better or are we just failing
its a matter of time before theyll become famous
keep our sadness for another day
hed do anything to show you the beauty
they help you cure yourself through their songs
giving you words of encouragement
theyre very proper
they found they correct way in making people feel
whatever they say, dont believe them, because you are better
hell keep singing lies to help you get better if you keep believing it

they were outcast

except they felt worse and didnt gain anything
when they grew up, they became bitter
they feel confined, to live in torture till the end
they never had a chance to feel okay
they are ashamed that only music is responsible for them being alive

are we becoming better or are we just failing

its a matter of time before theyll become famous

keep our sadness for another day

hed do anything to show you the beauty
he needs drugs to help him be happy and warm
and he wants you to trust him
he is sad to the core
and he needs medication to stay in this town
people believe him, but he always lies
he wants people to listen and sing with him
he wants you to see him as a good person
so get better or die
...
Connotation - the songs and the words own the beating of our hearts - this metaphor
suggests that music helps people through bad times. it is responsible of their hearts,
keeping them alive because they feel less alone.
were the therapists pumping through your speakers/delivering just what you need they want to help you through their music, and delivers these words so that they feel
less alone
Attitude - they have a hopeful tone in this song. they want their listeners to get better,
even though they know that they are outcasts and are lower. even though they are
never the ones who had their life together, they believe that they can save those who
are drowning
Shifts - the best part of believe is the lie - this shows that they are lying to the
listeners, that they are going to better. but false hope is better than no hope. he needs
them to continue to believe that they can make it so that they will make it.
Title - The title means that they are falling into sadness, they can be cured, but the
outcome is up to them if they believe.
Theme - Even though they are in a slump, they will help you back on your feet, no
matter what.