This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
I lost myself inside someone else
I couldn't see the lines between her and me
On a darker road, the fear I've shown
With eyes of stone, he walks alone
[Chorus]
What are you afraid of?
All the years fade away
What are you made of?
From the ties that hold us down
What are you fighting for?
To feel them all
What are you dying for?
To be free
Who tonight will change your life
To jump on a plane and land a thousand miles away
Just to see what we came to be
[Chorus]
Inside my eyes
There's no chance of losing
When there's no chance at all
As time goes by, I forget why
From a distant view it might still be true
There's a part of me that lives for you.
[Chorus: x2]
I couldn't see the lines between her and me
On a darker road, the fear I've shown
With eyes of stone, he walks alone
[Chorus]
What are you afraid of?
All the years fade away
What are you made of?
From the ties that hold us down
What are you fighting for?
To feel them all
What are you dying for?
To be free
Who tonight will change your life
To jump on a plane and land a thousand miles away
Just to see what we came to be
[Chorus]
Inside my eyes
There's no chance of losing
When there's no chance at all
As time goes by, I forget why
From a distant view it might still be true
There's a part of me that lives for you.
[Chorus: x2]
Lyrics submitted by alreadyiamlonely
What Are You Afraid Of? Lyrics as written by Stephanie Rachel Lewis Paula Winger
Lyrics © ESSENTIAL MUSIC PUBLISHING, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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When We Were Young
Blink-182
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No Surprises
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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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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.
What I love about this song is the duality of it. There is obviously a strong emotional tie between two people. The guy, in particular, is lost inside of the other person (who I am going to assume is a girl). He only knows how to identify himself through her. She has invaded him on every way she possibly could, and he feels like their lives are hopelessly entwined. Yet, they are also separated for one reason or another. Whether he chose to leave her, or she chose to leave him, is not clear, but I don't think that's the point. I'd like to think that SHE left HIM, and in doing so, she left him wondering who he is when he's on his own. How does a person stand on their own two feet when they have been relying on the support of another for so long? I think it bothers this man that he feels so strongly about this woman. He feels deserted, confused, alone and heartbroken. He doesn't want anyone to see his pain, but I think when someone is feeling that low, it's impossible not to see it written all over their face. It's in the way they walk, and most definitely, in their eyes. Everyone about a person's demeanor changes when they are nursing a broken heart, no matter how hard they try to hide it.
The song also suggests that the separation may have been a lengthy one, and in that time, feelings began to change. He started to get over her, but is afraid of losing that connection or love, that has meant so much to him for so long. The fact that there is a female voice that sings the questions on the chorus suggest to me that the woman in this song wants the man she once loved to move on with his life.
I think he takes one last chance on this woman, hoping to get back what they once had. He realizes that she has most definitely moved on with her life, and has found something else in life to take his place. She has freed herself of him, and is confused as to why he hasn't let her go. He isn't sure why he can't let her go, and even though time has passed, he's still holding out for her. He's still hoping that he'll get her back. Even if there isn't a chance in hell he's going to get what he wants.
I love the sadness in this song. There is almost an aching to it, from my perspective. There is a desperation to it, but it isn't hopeless. "What are you dying for? To be free." If it weren't for those lines, the hope would be gone. Those lines show that this man is not without redemption or reproach. He can rise above the pain he's feeling, and find someone else to love as much as he has loved this woman. But I think when you love someone as deeply as he loved this girl, there will always be a part of him that lives for her. And as long as it isn't in th forefront of your mind, I think that's okay. It's when you devote your entire life to someone who doesn't feel the same way as you that it's a problem.
This is definitely one of my favorite songs of all time.
Wow! aheartthatbends just wrote EVERY single thing that I thought about this song. Lovely!