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.
All my life, I've been searching for something
Something never comes, never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long I dream of the day
When it comes around and it's taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
Feel it come to life when I see your ghost
Calm down, don't you resist
You've such a delicate wrist
And if I give it a twist
Something to hold when I lose my grip
Will I find something in there
To give me just what I need?
Another reason to bleed
One by one hidden up my sleeve
One by one hidden up my sleeve
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Will I find a believer?
Another one who believes
Another one to deceive
Over and over, down on my knees
If I get any closer
And if you open up wide
And if you let me inside
On and on, I got nothing to hide
On and on, I got nothing to hide
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
All my life, I've been searching for something
Something never comes, never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long, I dream of the day
When it comes around and it's taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
Feel it come to life when I see your ghost
Then I'm done, done, on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, I'm done and I'm on to the next
Done, done, on to the next one
Done, I'm done and on to the next one
Done, done, on to the next one
Done, I'm done and I'm on to the next
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Done, done, on to the next one
Done, I'm done and I'm on to the next
Something never comes, never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long I dream of the day
When it comes around and it's taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
Feel it come to life when I see your ghost
Calm down, don't you resist
You've such a delicate wrist
And if I give it a twist
Something to hold when I lose my grip
Will I find something in there
To give me just what I need?
Another reason to bleed
One by one hidden up my sleeve
One by one hidden up my sleeve
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Will I find a believer?
Another one who believes
Another one to deceive
Over and over, down on my knees
If I get any closer
And if you open up wide
And if you let me inside
On and on, I got nothing to hide
On and on, I got nothing to hide
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
All my life, I've been searching for something
Something never comes, never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long, I dream of the day
When it comes around and it's taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
Feel it come to life when I see your ghost
Then I'm done, done, on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, done and I'm on to the next one
Done, I'm done and I'm on to the next
Done, done, on to the next one
Done, I'm done and on to the next one
Done, done, on to the next one
Done, I'm done and I'm on to the next
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Hey, don't let it go to waste, I love it but I hate the taste
Weight keepin' me down
Done, done, on to the next one
Done, I'm done and I'm on to the next
Lyrics submitted by jrodfoo182
All My Life Lyrics as written by Christopher A. Shiflett Taylor Hawkins
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I thought this song over more - I still think it was meant to be about oral sex, but it could easily about suicide, SI, etc. heres my analysis...
"All my life I've been searching for somethin' Somethin' never comes, never leads to nuthin' Nothin' satisfies, but I'm gettin' close Closer to the prize at the end of the rope"
Continually searching for something to stop the pain, can't ever find something that satisfies, but he's resorting to more extreme methods, getting closer to death, the "prize at the end of the rope."
"All night long I dream of the day When it comes around, and it's takin'away Leaves me with the feelin' that I fear the most Feel it come to life when I see your ghost"
He still has dreams of a better future, but every day he feels like it's stolen from him again, leaving him depressed, and he thinks about someone close to him who had committed suicide (the ghost) or maybe seeing his own ghost, thinking about suicide.
"Calm down, don't you resist Your such a delicate wrist And if i give it a twist Somethin' to hold when I lose my grip"
OK this is cheesy but thinking about personal experience it seems simple, he's thinking about slitting his wrists, and he realizes he's left little cuts in one from the nails of his other hand...well thats what it means to me as ive done that tons of times.
"Will i find something in there, to give it just what it needs another reason to bleed One by one, Hidden up my sleeve"
In there...the blood vessels, trying to find something he needs in cutting, addicted to that now and it's just another stress that makes him need to cut more, "one by one up my sleeve" is the little scars from cutting
"Hey, don't let it go to waste I love it but, i hate that taste Weight keeping me down"
This doesn't fit really with a guy, but if u consider it from a girl's perspective it would work fine, but since i've been using a guy as the narrator ill continue with the guy. its about bein bulemic, another form of self mutilation - just think about it its obvious if u take those 3 lines by themselves.
"Will I find the believer Another one who believes Another one to decieve Over and over, down on my knees"
Trying to find other people in the same situation, that "believe" in cutting - I've seen tons of these sad individuals, was one for a while.
"If I get any closer, And if you open up wide And if you let me inside On and on, I've got nuthin' to hide"
This is the most obvious looking oral sex reference, but it could just mean spilling ur guts to someone, or maybe religion, giving yourself to God. Religion could be the thing he needs.
"Done, done; on to the next one Done, done, and I'm on to the next one"
The song is what he's thinking about while he's cutting himself...he's done with one slash, and he goes on to do it again.
There ya go...im a twisted freak.
I totally agree. I used to think this song was about going down on a girl, but I don't see that at all anymore. IMHO, it's about self-harm--or more specifically, cutting.<br /> <br /> "All my life I've been searching for something<br /> Something never comes, never leads to nothing"<br /> <br /> He's feeling lost and empty. A common reason for inflicting harm upon yourself is to feel something instead of emptiness.<br /> <br /> "Nothing satisfies, but I'm getting close<br /> Closer to the prize at the end of the rope"<br /> <br /> He can't get satisfaction from anything. Even cutting is loosing its edge. He cuts deeper, longer--getting "closer to the prize at the end of the rope"<br /> <br /> ..then he talks a lot about his wrists and such.<br /> <br /> "one by one hidden up my sleeve"<br /> <br /> the scars literally hidden by his sleeves. This line is the big reason I can't imagine this song is about women; it doesn't make sense otherwise!
@uberchicken good interpretation. Unfortunately I think it's about adrenochrome. It's the only thing that combines something like suicide, sex and "believers". I'm disgusted tbh I didn't think Dave Grohl would be involved in it but it's just dawned on me this is the only thing this song could be about. Every line equates to it. Apologies if this has landed a bomb. Don't look adrenochrome up unless you can stomach it
@uberchicken