What did you take? 'Cause that's what I'll take,
and I can't take it without you

When I feel dead, I lay in my bed
I don't want to lay here without you

Now you can't stand, well I understand
You can take my heavy hand

'Cause I can't resist the touch of your lips
I feel the bliss on my fingertips, oh shit

And I'm scared that this could end
face down in the park again
wondering where I left my mind last night
but that's alright, you're my terrible friend

Everyone is pretty and fun, everyone is lovely and young
Everyone is gentle and gone, but everyone's just everyone

And you're the one who's breaking me
And you're the one who just won't leave
Still I don't want it to end, you are my terrible friend


Lyrics submitted by Aquarius121

My Terrible Friend Lyrics as written by Kip Berman Alexander Arthur Naidus

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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My Terrible Friend song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • +1
    My Interpretation

    no one has commented yet? unexpected...

    well, for me it's the best song on "belong". reminds me of "higher than the stars" and some poppier stuff from the cure. my english is not this good and i think i may not have caught all the "between the lines" of the lyrics, but i can only guess that this song is about having a best friend from the opposite sex. and, not enough, feeling like falling in love with her/him. maybe it's me, because i have gone through a thing like this recently (and i believe most of us, if not yet, will go through this too). in the case of the song, it's clear that, at the same time he has some physical intimacy with her, their relationship is more about complicity. when he sings "everyone's just everyone", and after this "you're the one who's breaking me", it seems that he feels himself inside this dilemma; kind of "you're perfect to me, you make me crazy. but we're just friends. you're so terrible". it's pretty. (but i don't want to be in it again)

    fujiresanon May 30, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Comparison

    and it's funny how this theme is reocurrent in their sound. a lot of songs are about "friends who are so friends they fall in love". twins, this love is fucking right, higher than the stars, belong, everything with you - i interpret them as about this stuff. that's why the pains always sound so familiar to me and to many people.

    fujiresanon July 20, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I may be reading into it what I wish but I always thought of the friend as male-with the song being about same-sex desire.

    jscott33on November 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS FOR LIFE

    gabbylyon February 11, 2013   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    hahaha. actually, it makes more sense indeed...

    fujiresanon March 24, 2012   Link

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