Everybody wants to be a showman
Yeah they all got another one
Everybody thinks they got a genius
Everybody got me on the run
Sometimes I think they come here
Just so you can say that you can
And I can't get alone in my bathroom
I need to give myself a hand

Ya'll c-c-c-creepin'
Creepin' underneath my skin
Fuck you and your flashbulbs
Snappin' my picture again
You drank all my whiskey
You stole all my smoke
And you're crowded all around me
Like I got nowhere to go

Eyes are gonna roll back
I'm here to kill time
For you to go I'ma gon' spill
It ain't yo fast train
I'll be the king running near the wheel
I ain't looking to make no deals here no

You keep sticking to me like a prickly porcupine
You're getting your information from the grocery checkout line
Are you through confessing of your little girl obsession
'Cause I was only messing and I had a little time

Eyes are gonna roll back
I'm here to kill time
For you to go I'ma gon' spill
It ain't yo fast train
I'll be the king running near the wheel
I ain't looking to make no deals here no

Eyes are gonna roll back
I'm here to kill time
For you to go I'm a gon' spill
It ain't yo fast train
I'll be the king running near the wheel
I ain't looking to make no deals here no

Eyes are gonna roll back
I'm here to kill time
For you to go I'ma gon' spill
It ain't yo fast train
I'll be the king running near the wheel
I ain't looking to make no deals here no


Lyrics submitted by laextasis, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Genius Lyrics as written by Ivan Nathan Followill Angelo T. Petraglia

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Genius song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

12 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is my favorite Kings of Leon song. It's a pretty simple message I think, but for a while I didn't understand the line "you're gettin' your information from the grocery check-out line". Now I realize he's referring to people reading the tabloids on the racks when they're waiting in the check-out line. Obviously this isn't literal (or at least I don't think they were that popular during their 1st album).

    I love this song so much. Whenever I'm mad I throw it on. It's good like that.

    Also on a more interesting side-note: I think the "I can't get alone in my bathroom, I need to give myself a hand" lyric is referencing him trying to masturbate but being unable to due to certain assholes bugging him while he's in there. This thought only occurred to me when I watched on YouTube "Genius" live in Britain, when he made a lude gesture while singing that lyric. EXCELLENT!

    The Tallest Manon July 09, 2007   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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.