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.
I wanna be
The richest American
I wanna live
Out on the street
So many reasons
To just do nothing
To walk around
Like you're out on your feet
So here we are
Now running in circles
We shoulda listened
To H.G. Wells
We're living in
The age of frustration
We're giving in
But we can't even tell
And all you need
Is one good reason
One good reason
You don't believe
You want a mapped out
Blank Existance
So you don't feel stupid
Before you leave
Everybody's here but nobody showed up
A is for apathy
For apathy
For apathy
A is for apathy
For apathy
For apathy
For apathy
for apathy
For apathy
For apathy
for apathy
For apathy
I wanna be
The richest American
I wanna live
Out on the street
So many reasons
To just do nothing
Don't walk around
Like your out on your feet
Everybodys here but nobody showed up
Everybodys here but nobody showed up
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
Just do nothing
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
(Green says go
Blood red stop
You gotta hit the bottom
Before you hit the top
So make the call
Which side you on
Back with the weak
Go down with the strong)
(Do you understand
Its not too late!)
The richest American
I wanna live
Out on the street
So many reasons
To just do nothing
To walk around
Like you're out on your feet
So here we are
Now running in circles
We shoulda listened
To H.G. Wells
We're living in
The age of frustration
We're giving in
But we can't even tell
And all you need
Is one good reason
One good reason
You don't believe
You want a mapped out
Blank Existance
So you don't feel stupid
Before you leave
Everybody's here but nobody showed up
A is for apathy
For apathy
For apathy
A is for apathy
For apathy
For apathy
For apathy
for apathy
For apathy
For apathy
for apathy
For apathy
I wanna be
The richest American
I wanna live
Out on the street
So many reasons
To just do nothing
Don't walk around
Like your out on your feet
Everybodys here but nobody showed up
Everybodys here but nobody showed up
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
Just do nothing
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
A is for Apathy
For Apathy
For Apathy
(Green says go
Blood red stop
You gotta hit the bottom
Before you hit the top
So make the call
Which side you on
Back with the weak
Go down with the strong)
(Do you understand
Its not too late!)
Lyrics submitted by NaginalJJ
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
such a marvalous song... its about giving up. being indesicive. living life as it comes. but overall living life like a party, in your own way.
Words of Spider One:
"A Is For Apathy" says, "I want to be the richest American" and "I want to live out on the street." But since the song is written from an apathetic point of view, it doesn't matter which of those options you get. My favorite line is, "So many reasons to just do nothing." That just sums it up. And we all suffer from that.
A is for apathy. (Letter)-is for-(object) is a way of teaching children their ABCs. So I believe the song is saying that we're constantly teaching our children to be apathetic as a way to defend them against the disappointment that they will eventually have to face in the world. If you don't care, you can't be disappointed. Do you understand? It's not to late. We don't have to raise a generation of sociopaths.
That's just my take though.