You're so careless, careless
How did you get so ungrateful?
You treat me like I'm a disease and it's been killing me
Chances are, you never even cared at all
I'm sure you had your reasons but I'll never get to hear

The truth disguised in all your alibis
It's a tradition practiced
Every time you say goodbye

I've tried so hard
to be what you needed
your imaginary enemy
I've tried for so long
to make you believe it
that I am not the enemy

Slipshod cavalier
I can't stand to see those things that
you have taken for granted
thrown away everything you've been handed
Too much all at once that's how you got so ungrateful
All you saw was the burden
standing beside all your blessed truths
disguised in all you alibis
It's a tradition practiced
every time you say goodbye

I've tried so hard
to be what you needed
your imaginary enemy
I've tried for so long
to make you believe it
that I am not the enemy
imaginary enemy


Lyrics submitted by tyrstyrgdtrdygtdyrh

Imaginary Enemy song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

17 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Imaginary enemy doesn't pertain to just a selfish, ungrateful girl. This song describes my ex-boyfriend down to a tee. The singer is expressing how their partner has turned them into an enemy suddenly because they are very ungrateful of the other person in the relationship. The partner dumping the other person treats the "dumpee" as a disease, burden, responsiblity, nuisance etc. The singer notices that their partner has a simliar pattern in life - "All you saw was the burden standing beside all your blessed truths disguised in all you alibis It's a tradition practiced every time you say goodbye" - Once they get tired of being in a relationship the person lies and comes up with excuses, they've also done this in the past with other relationships possibly because its a "tradition" or sorta always ends up happening. "I've tried so hard to be what you needed" - the other person in the relationship tries so very hard to be exactly what their partner needs but..they can't seem to live up to them.. So once the relationship ends..."I've tried for so long to make you believe it that I am not the enemy" -the person being dumped tries to convince their partner that they aren't the problem or their "enemy".

    breathe182on May 13, 2010   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
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Album art
Plastic Bag
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.