You only hold me up like this
'Cause you don't know who I really am
Sometimes I just want to know what it's like to be you

We're making out inside crashed cars
We're sleeping through all our memories
I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive (now I only waste my time dreaming of you)

Turn off the lights and turn off the shyness
'Cause all of our moves make up for the silence
And oh, the way your makeup stains my pillowcase
Like I'll never be the same

You only hold me up like this
'Cause you don't know who I really am
I used to waste my time on, waste my time on
Waste my time dreaming of being alive
(Now I only waste my time dreaming of you)

Turn off the lights and turn off the shyness
'Cause all of our moves make up for the silence
And oh, the way your makeup stains my pillowcase
Like I'll never be the same

I've got headaches and bad luck but they couldn't touch you, no
I've got headaches and bad luck but they couldn't touch you, no

I'm not trying
You only hold me up like this

Turn off the lights and turn off the shyness
'Cause all of our moves make up for the silence
And oh, the way your makeup stains
Like I'll never be the same


Lyrics submitted by Blaupunked, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Of All the Gin Joints in All the World Lyrics as written by Joseph Mark Trohman Andrew John Hurley

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Of All the Gin Joints in All the World song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

89 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    I genuinely feel as though this song is definitely about a positive relationship, but at the same time, one full of anxieties and fear.

    "You only hold me up like this 'cause you don't know who I really am" This is obviously the person feeling anxious that they're not good enough for the girl, and he's scared to let her know all about himself.

    "Sometimes I just want to know what it's like to be you" Perhaps he wants to know how it feels to be loved unconditionally, like he does her?

    "We're making out inside crashed cars, we're sleeping through all the memories." I think this isn't so much about the intimacies of their relationship, but how the whole world is messed up, but they don't care because they're in love and how big things are happening around them (the "memories") but it all seems so insignificant to their relationship.

    "I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive (now I only waste it dreaming of you)" Again, everything that was so prevelant to the guy has just been shoved back. It's like she's engulfed him but he doesn't care because maybe it's making him feel alive (She's fulfilled his dreams?)

    "Turn off the lights, and turn off the shyness, 'cause all of our moves make up for the silence." Very self-explanatory, sexually. But at a deeper level, they only feel comfortable around each other, like the moment they get intimate, all the fears and anxieties melt away and it becomes so natural to be together.

    "I've got headaches and bad luck, but they couldn't touch you, no." Now he's just saying "You know what? I'm messed up. I hurt and I ruin things, but you make it go away and nothing could ruin how I feel about you"

    "I'm not trying." Maybe he's saying it's effotless? He doesn't have to TRY to love her, he just does?

    I think the title relates to the lyrics too. You know how some people drown their sorrows when they're down to feel better and get rid of it all? This is what she is for him. Instead, it's "of all the girls in all the world, you make it better." Or maybe I'm being a hopeless romantic. :)

    hellosweetieon January 09, 2011   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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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
Page
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.