And the sign says long hair freaky people need not apply
So I put my hair under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine outstanding young man I think you'll do
So I took off my hat I said imagine that huh me working for you

Signs signs
Everywhere there's signs
Fucking up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign

And the sign says anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight
So I jumped the fence and I yelled at the house, hey! what gives you the right
To put up a fence and keep me out or to keep mother nature in
If god was here he'd tell it to your face man you're some kind of sinner

Signs signs
Everywhere there's signs
Fucking up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign

Oh say now mister can't you read
You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't watch no you can't eat you ain't supposed to be here

And the sign says you got to have a membership card to get inside, huh

And the sign says everybody welcome come in kneel down and pray
But then they passed around a plate at the end of it all
And I didn't have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and paper and I made up my own fucking sign
I said thank you lord for thinking about me I'm alive and doing fine

Signs signs
Everywhere there's signs
Fucking up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign

Signs signs
Everywhere there's signs
Fucking up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign


Lyrics submitted by kaan

Signs Lyrics as written by Les Emmerson

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Signs song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, damn hippies.

    Muzzyon June 14, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I swear on the live version he says "Fuckin up the scenerery"

    Muzzyon June 14, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    He does say that. He also says "And so I got me a pen and paper, and made up my own fuckin' sign"

    Alvienon April 09, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes, he does change the lyrics. Made the song better than it was. Not too fond of the new album. I'll stick to the old stuff.

    irish_deftone6on October 27, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    why do people have to be lazy and submit the original band's version? he does say "fuckin' up the scenery" as well as "and i made up my own fuckin' sign"

    HisDudenesson July 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I've noticed that your lazy ass has put up a whopping 'ZERO' lyrics to date on here. Quit your fucking whining about which version of the song's lyrics are posted and post your own shit for once. It's douchebags like you that annoy the living shit out of me. By the way, "HisDudeness" your name really fits you... All I can think of is a huge dick.

    FreezeSukkaon December 31, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song.

    drummerpenguinon January 31, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.