There are days I want to leave L.A.
I want to break out the maze
Escape the dark haze these days
So many kids, I know your feelin' crazed

Crave materials thangs and makin' slave wages
Baggy pockets only got laundry fluff
Livin' where rich people always buyin' some stuff
So you try to act tough and hide what's inside

Hold your head high, gettin' fucked up and throwin' dice
As bad as yours and bad enough, I'm sure
My heart wants to love, but must navigate through war
'Cause seein' that we're wired to short circuit

Must mean the meek who will inherit the earth
Already work it

There's a land by the sand, grab the money
Plastic the life, end of the century
People actin' fake can't see the omens
Wake up yourself â??cause change is comin'
There's a land by the sand, grab the money Hollywood is such a place, fuelin' the frenzy

And everybody starts to peep around corners
Before they take their next step, they know their borders

In this $19.98 plus shipping and handling type netherworld
Every time merchandise dips in our coffers
We buy that, imagine that cost of livin', uh huh
The fakest shit and act cool, our friends are watchin'

Attention shoppers: check the selection in your reflection
Don't you feel so good does it enhance your fresh complexion

[Repeat: x2]
You gotta have it, you got, gots to have it

As the world turns and all the money we burn
On the bullshit to make us happy, sometimes we never learn

That we're self-centered, we think we're better We look down as a people upon our elders

There's a land by the sand, grab the money
Now let go of it 'cause it's dissolving
It created all your fears and kept you hustling
Made you sever all the ties to your family

There's a land by the sand, grab the money
Plastic the life, end of the century
People actin' fake can't see the omens
Wake up yourself â??cause change is comin'

There's a land by the sand, grab the money Hollywood is such a place, fuelin' the frenzy
And everybody starts to peep around corners Before they take their next step,
They know their borders


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Borders Lyrics as written by Douglas Martinez Chad Sexton

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Borders song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    i feel that this song is about putting on a front or becoming a poser....like tryign to act cool to impress people...but u hafta 'come original'...

    ate_16amon May 01, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think theyre talkin about signs of the end of this age, as we are awakening to a new dimension, and people refuse to open their eyes to see whats going on. nothing synthetic will make it thru. we gots to let it go!

    -[drift]-on May 05, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    for real...if you guys are true 311 fans and dont dig this song yet...listen to it 2 or 3 times in a row and it will catch on like no other..20 on transistor was once a track i skiped but now its one of 311's betters the got such a fat vibe...un beatable

    Evolver182on May 24, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is about the lifestyle that hollywood pushes on everyone, even those who cant afford to keep up with it. everyone is "wired to short circuit", meaning they we will never reach the so-called hollywood ideals. this song is about materialism and how ridiculous it is, and 311 hopes that people will wake up and change will come.

    inhibon November 22, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Actually, this song is about Mexican imigration into the US.

    Ilayaraaja1986on April 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I highly doubt this song is about Mexican immigration into the US. It definitely has some lyrics about people who don't have the money to live the LA lifestyle, but to say this song is about Mexicans is unfounded and does not fit into the 311 message.

    "People actin' fake can't see the omens Wake up yourself cause change is comin'"

    I always wondered what omens and change SA was talking about there.

    Zenteron July 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I figured it out. I'm surprised more people haven't talked about this song. This song is completely about the image the media (mtv, tv commercials, magazines, etc.) try to have us believe will make us happy. And Nick is talking about the image that people buy into when he goes:

    "We buy that image that cost of livin' uh huh The fakest shit and act cool our friends are watchin'"

    It's all fake though they point out. It's a plastic life that people believe will make them happy, but it doesn't, yet some people never learn.

    The omens they are talking about SA never tells ya, but they don't want you to follow what they say blindly, 311 want you to use your own damn mind and figure out what is making our current economic existence such bs. That's what their song wake your mind up on from chaos is all about.

    You guys want some omens though? Look no further than our current economy. The stock market is up, but unemployment is high, people are working harder for less money, and nobody's wondering why.

    So many kids I know your feelin' crazed Crave material thangs and makin' slave wages

    Don't buy that image. It's what the songs all about.

    Zenteron October 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i'm so obsessed with this song right now. if you don't think it's a jam, listen to it a couple of times, and listen to the background noises on the chorus, it's so tight. if there was any song i could choose to hear live, it would be borders for sure. since i've already heard evolution.

    311fan46on February 07, 2013   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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.