In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Don't want to think about it,
but I see it every day.
Corrupted innocence just doesn't seem to fade away.
Spoiled so young,
you know it's bound to last,
but when you're living in the city,
you've gotta grow up fast.
And it makes me sick,
God, it makes me sick.
Don't want to think about it,
but I see it every day.
If you want to buy affluence,
your soul you'll have to pay.
Wasting away the prime of your life,
but it's been done that way for years,
so you know it must be all right.
Don't wanna think about it,
but I see it every day.
With every sip and every shot,
mind and bodies fade away.
Friends are all gone,
and memories don't last,
but when you've fallen off the wagon,
you seem to fall so damn fast.
but I see it every day.
Corrupted innocence just doesn't seem to fade away.
Spoiled so young,
you know it's bound to last,
but when you're living in the city,
you've gotta grow up fast.
And it makes me sick,
God, it makes me sick.
Don't want to think about it,
but I see it every day.
If you want to buy affluence,
your soul you'll have to pay.
Wasting away the prime of your life,
but it's been done that way for years,
so you know it must be all right.
Don't wanna think about it,
but I see it every day.
With every sip and every shot,
mind and bodies fade away.
Friends are all gone,
and memories don't last,
but when you've fallen off the wagon,
you seem to fall so damn fast.
Lyrics submitted by oofus
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this song seems to be about how youth today are more lost than ever and are wasting their lives away.
I really think it dose refer to tenn souls poisining them sevls after all AFI's lead sinbger davey havok is straight edge i think it refers to drug use when they say "with every sip and every shot mind and bodies fade away"
This song is definitely about living in the city, that it's a really hard thing, it shows exactly how a I feel when Im stucked in the trafic watching all the kids selling stuff, the pollution, everyone is mad, the stress and sometimes you just wanna runaway, but when you go out you feel like there's nothing to do... AMAZING SONG... ''When you're living in the city you gotta grow up fast''
it's theorem of revolution
my opinion on this song is probably far out there but it's the way i am interpereting it...
'corrupted innocence' i think represents either rape or the fact that alot of younger kids are deciding to experiment with sex and the fact that it 'doesnt seem to fade away' means that more and more younger kids are doing it because they feel a need to 'grow up fast' and i think the rest of the song represents how after making these decisions you become unhappy and turn to drugs and alchohol your soul 'pays' for that as you start 'wasting away'
i think its more or less about the downfall of youth and how it's all happening so fast.
but thats just my opinion...
all he's saying is he's not buying in, he's not giving into to everything they're selling, the life that modern culture says you have to buy in to. "If you want to buy affluence, your soul you'll have to pay." he refuses to play along, now his friends are gone, driving away on the bandwagon, and "when you've fallen off the wagon, you seem to fall so damn fast."
It's about kids who are throwing their lives away, doing drugs and drinking a lot.
i see this pretty much as everyone mentions, kids growing up fast, in the city they start doing it younger and drinking younger and all that...but the last verse really captures davey's side of things, because he is vegan, and also straight edge, so he believes that alcohol destroys the body and the mind and is fake, so thats wat with every shot and sip means, and he has fallen off the drinkin bandwagon, everyone is doing it except him, so now all his friends are gone, and he is falling, faster then can be expected, because, as it says in the song, wasting away the prime of your life, he doesn't want to do that...and i feel proud of what davey does it takes courage to do it and strong belief in urself and he had it, and still does...congrats davey