Pardon Me

Incubus

Pardon me while I burst
Pardon me while I burst

A decade ago
I never thought I would be at twenty-three
On the verge of spontaneous combustion
Woe-is-me
But I guess that it comes with the territory
An ominous landscape of never ending calamity
I need you to hear
I need you to see that I have had all that I can take
And exploding seems like a definite possibility to me

So pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and it's people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same

Not two days ago
I was having a look in a book
And I saw a picture of a guy fried up above his knee
I said, "I can relate," 'cause lately I've been
Thinking of combustication as a welcomed vacation from
The burdens of the planet earth
Like gravity, hypocrisy, and the perils of being in 3-D
But thinking so much differently

Pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and it's people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Never be the same, yeah

Pardon me while I burst into flames
Pardon me, pardon me, pardon me

So pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and its people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same

Pardon me, never be the same, yeah


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Pardon Me Lyrics as written by Brandon Charles Boyd Alex Katunich

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Pardon Me song meanings
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158 Comments

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  • +8
    General Comment

    Do you know the actual story? I read it in an issue of kerrang! Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. Brandon had come back from tour to find out that his girlfriend of 7 years had been cheating on him and that both grandmas and a close friend had died. He was in a book shop when he saw a picture of a guy who had spontaneously combusted and he thought that his problems were nothing compared to this guy's. He wrote the lyric "Pardon Me while i burst into flames" on his hand right there. The End

    Harry Manbackon February 26, 2002   Link
  • +7
    General Comment

    This is a great song about dealing with all of the crap in life and the stupid thing people do and just wanting to literally explode at some times. It's one of my favorites from Make Yourself and is a good song to crank up and sing aloud to.

    ajteleckyon November 22, 2001   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    This song is about Brandon Boyd getting so fed up with the world and its inhabitants senseless way of thinking. He wants to start his life over with a clean slate like the bird called a phoenix does. The phoenix is a bird that lives its life in cycles. It burns up into flames when its old and is recreated back in to its infantile self with a perfectly "clean slate". Brandon wants to recreate himself in a new life or reincarnate as the same life vessel if you will.

    JohnKoenig10on February 20, 2012   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I love this song. Its so beautiful. "Pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame". Its like he's saying you can go on with your own drama, but I'm going to rise above it. Like, I've already burned myself up with meaningless problems, now I'm going to rise above. I love it.

    Kirstiemdon October 23, 2009   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I personally believe it's about suicide.

    "I've been thinking of combustication as a welcomed vacation from the burdens of the planet earth."

    Technically it's illegal to commit suicide and according to many major religions immoral. And that's enough to make you want to shoot yourself, knowing that you don't even have a legal right to take your own life. That people just mindlessly judge you constantly. Pardon me if I want to choose what I want to do with my own life. Pardon me that your a dumba**.

    shoesRme2009on March 04, 2010   Link
  • +3
    My Interpretation

    The Phoenix rises from the flames and ashes and flies. This is so straight forward. Stop torturing the lyrics.

    kanzeion May 04, 2013   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Life is a hard pill to swallow, and the way people treat each other doesn't make it any easier. I think this is what Brandon is expressing.

    snarf_skateron January 19, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    this song is a perfect example of how awesome a lyricist Brandon is.

    pumpkingirlon February 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    couldn't agree more

    fyldotcomon November 26, 2001   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think it's chorus is supposed to be 'pardon me i've been so rude, it wasn't me it was my food' and they wrote the song about that but discovered that it was copyrighted. The spontaneous combustion is him trying to hold it in... Kidding, Brilliant song. Yeah sometimes i feel like everything should explode but then i lighten up

    urethane_demonon January 11, 2002   Link

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